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1 


1 


/ks>M( 


The  Later  History 


OF   THE 


First  Church  OF  Christ 


NEW  LONDON,  CONN., 


<  BY 


Rev.  S.  IvEROY  BLAKE,  D.  D., 

Pastor  of  the  Church,  from  March  30, 1887. 


PUBLISHED  BY  SUBSCRIPTION. 


NKW    I.ONDON: 
Peess  of  Thb  Day  Publishing  Company. 

1900. 


THIS  VOLUME  DOES  W 
tii-CULATE 


Copyright,  1900, 
By  S.  Leroy  Blake. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEK. 

I.  Introductory         

II.  Ministry  of  Eliphalet  Adams 

III.  Adams  as  a  Preacher    .... 

IV.  The  Great  Awakening  ... 
V.  The  Ministry  or  Mather  Byles,  Jr.    . 

VI.  Ministry  of  Ephraim  Woodbridge 

VII.  The  Interim 

VIII.  Ministry  of  Henry  Channing;  The  Parish 

IX.  Ministry  of  Henry  Channing;  Record  of  Health 

X.  Ministry  of  Henry  Channing;  The  Church 

XI.  Ministry  of  Abel  McEwen  ;  The  Parish 

XII.  Ministry  of  Abel  McEwen  ;  The  Church 

XIII.  Ministry  of  Abel  McEwen;  The  Man 

XIV.  Ministry  of  Thomas  P.  Field 

XV.  Baptisms 


PAGE. 
1 

17 
82 
99 
137 
164 
182 
207 
242 
255 
298 
333 
370 
403 
445 


I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 


It  is  the  purpose  of  this  volume  to  give  the  history 
of  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  New  London,  Con- 
necticut, from  the  year  1708,  to  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
Edward  Woolsey  Bacon,  which  began  January  14, 

1877. 

In  the  interests  of  accurate  history  one  or  two 
statements  in  the  first  volume  should  be  corrected. 
On  the  third  page  it  is  said  that  Mr.  Adams  was 
called  to  the  presidency  of  Yale  College  in  1714. 
This  is  a  typographical  error  for  1724. 

Again  on  page  145  it  is  said  that  ''Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  married"  Mr.  Bradstreet's  ''aunt  Lucy  Dud- 
ley." It  should  have  been  said  that  he  married 
his  "aunt  Mercy  Dudley."  On  pages  204  and  205 
Hannah  Bahr  should  be  Hannah  Baker.  It  was 
discovered  too  late  for  correction,  that  an  error  had 
been  made  about  the  first  meeting-house  of  the 
Baptists  in  Groton.  At  once  the  following  was  pre- 
pared and  sent  to  be  placed  in  every  copy  of  The 
Early  History  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  New 
London,  Conn. 


2  LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

ERRATUM. 

On  page  221  of  The  Early  History  of   the   First   Church  of 
Christ,    New    London. 

The  author  was  misinformed  about  the  first  house  of  wor- 
ship of  the  Baptists  of  Groton.  It  was  built  on  the  old  road, 
between  the  center  of  that  town  and  Upper  Mystic,  and  was 
not  called  the  Pepper  Box.  The  house  which  was  so  desig- 
nated stood  in  another  spot. 

The  Baptist  Church  which  was  called  the  Pepper 
Box  was  built  on  Fort  Hill  in  what  is  now  Water- 
ford,  near  the  residence  of  the  late  Dr.  Borland. 

Since  writing  the  previous  volume  a  few  further 
facts  concerning  Rev.  Thomas  Peters  have  come 
to  the  writer's  knowledge.  For  the  facts  relating  to 
Mr.  Peters  I  am  indebted  to  Mrs.  Edward  McClure 
Peters  of  New  York. 

Rev.  Thomas  Peters,  or  Peter,  as  the  name  was 
frequently  written,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Thomas 
Dirkwood  and  Martha  Trefifery  of  Fowey,  Corn- 
wall. He  was  baptized  in  the  parish  of  St.  Ewe  in 
1597.  His  father  was  a  merchant,  and  was  decend- 
ed  from  a  family  which  was  driven  from  Antwerp 
in  1543,  on  account  of  their  religion.  They  be- 
longed to  the  Reformed  Church.  His  mother  was 
of  a  very  ancient  family  of  the  name  of  Trefifery. 
The  Dirkwoods  were  wealthy,  but  suffered  severe 
losses  about  the  time  that  Thomas  was  at  Oxford. 
When,  and  for  what  reason  the  name  of  Peter,  or 
Peters,  was  substituted  for  that  of  Dirkwood  is  not 
known,  but  the  change  seems  to  have  been  made 
between  1599  and  1610. 


INTRODUCTORY.  3 

Thomas  matriculated  at  Brasenose  College,  Ox- 
ford in  1610,  and  graduated  June  30,  1614.  For 
many  years  he  was  vicar  of  Mylor  in  his  native 
county.  "He  was  driven  from  England,  probably 
by  Sir  Ralph  Hopton  in  1643,  ^^^  reached  New 
England  in  1644.  He  was  in  Saybrooke  in  1645 
and  later  accompanied  John  Winthrop  Jr.,  to  the 
Pequod  plantation." 

He  seems  to  have  remained  in  this  country  but 
about  two  years,  for  he  received  a  call  to  return  to 
his  old  parish  in  Cornwall,  and  sailed  from  Nan- 
tucket, December  19,  1646.  He  again  ministered 
at  Mylor  until  he  died  in  1654,  in  the  fifty-seventh 
year  of  his  age.  Cotton  Mather  speaks  of  him  as 
"a  worthy  man  and  a  writer  of  certain  pieces." 

His  will  is  quaint,  like  himself,  and  is  as  follows : 
"In  The  name  of  The  Everlasting  God,  Amen.  The 
26th  of  October,  1654,  I  Thomas  Peters,  Preacher 
of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  att  Mylor  in  Cornwall 
though  with  little  success  to  soules,  being  in  good 
and  perfect  memory,  blessed  be  my  Lord  Jesus, 
though  having  some  of  deathes  sentences  upon  my 
body  Doe  hereby  constitute  this  my  last  Will  and 
Testament  as  followeth  :  Item.  I  bequeath  my  eter- 
nal soule  unto  the  bosome  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
my  never  fayling  advocate  and  Redeemer,  who  hath 
opened  a  fountain  of  his  blood  to  washe  it  from  all 
sinne  and  all  uncleanness  though  such  as  were 
found  in  the  bloody  family  of  David  and  that  abom- 
inable sort  of  Jerusaleme  inhabitants,  and  my  body 


4  LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

to  be  interred  over  agt  my  studdy  window  neare 
the  brow  of  the  hill  neare  the  pathway  to  the  diall." 

There  follow  several  items  bequeathing  certain 
lands,  houses,  moneys,  etc.,  to  his  "sonne  John," 
to  his  daughters  Mary,  Sarah,  Ann  and  Elizabeth, 
and  to  his  wife  Ann,  whom  he  made  "sole  execu- 
tor." The  will  was  ''Proved  in  the  Prerogative 
Court  of  Canterbury,  the  19th  of  January  1654-5." 

A  few  further  facts  relating  to  Richard  Blinman 
have  been  found.  A  catalogue  of  the  Alumni  of 
Oxford  says  that  he  was  a  son  of  William  Blinman 
of  Chepstowe,  County  of  Monmouth,  where  Richard 
was  probably  born,  though  this  is  not  certain,  in 
161 5.  He  was  matriculated  at  New  Inn  Hall,  April 
24,  1635,  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  He 
took  his  degree  of  B.  A.,  January  19,  1635-6.  He 
appears  to  have  gone  from  Oxford  to  Chepstowe 
where  he  had  a  church,  until  he  was  driven  to 
America  in  1640  for  his  nonconformity.  Not  long 
after  he  married  Mary,  sister  of  Dorothy,  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Parke. 

His  will  was  proved  in  1687,  the  same  year  in 
which  it  was  drawn,  when  he  says  that  he  had  "lived 
to  the  age  of  72  years."  Evidently  he  was  living  in 
1687.  As  his  will  was  proved  in  that  year  it  is  prob- 
able that  this  was  also  the  year  of  his  death. 

A  church  which  has  been  prominent  among  the 
religious  forces  of  a  state  and  has  been  identified 
with  a  community  almost  from  the  beginning,  must 
come  to  be  a  vital  part  of  their  history.  The  history 
of  this  state  and  town,  with  the  story  of  its  old  Col- 


INTRODUCTORY.  5 

onial  churches  left  out,  would  be  conspicuously  in- 
complete. 

This  is  the  oldest  church,  by  several  years  in 
southeastern  Connecticut.  It  is  the  mother  of  four 
Congregational  Churches ;  the  first,  or  Road 
Church,  Stonington,  organized  in  1674;  the  church 
in  Groton,  organized  in  1704;  the  church  in  Mont- 
ville,  organized  in  1722;  and  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  New  London,  organized  in  1835. 
For  three  quarters  of  a  century  it  was  the  only  or- 
ganized religious  force  in  this  community.  For 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  it  has  been  identified 
with  the  religious  history  of  the  city,  the  county  and 
the  state.  The  main  question  is  whether  the  present 
generation  will  enter  heartily  into  all  that  is  be- 
queathed to  them.  A  noble  race  of  men  and  wo- 
men left  to  their  heirs  a  rich  and  noble  legacy — 
Thk  First  Church  of  Christ,  Nkw  London, 
CoNNKCTicuT — in  which  most  of  the  old  family 
trees  of  this  city  are  rooted,  however  their  branches 
may  have  been  grafted  elsewhere.  Some  of  the 
later  generations  may  have  strayed  into  other 
folds,  but  their  ancestral  lines  lead  back  into  this 
venerable  church,  in  whose  care  and  nurture  the 
early  men  and  women  of  New  London  were  trained. 

In  the  spring  of  1901  this  church  will  have  been 
in  New  London  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  This 
opens  the  way  to  correct  a  misapprehension  con- 
cerning the  anniversary  which  was  held  October  19, 
1870.  It  was  called  the  two  hundredth  anniversary. 
But  it  was  not.    It  was  two  hundred  years  after  the 


6  LATER   HISTORY   OP   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

date  of  the  earliest  records.  But  the  church  was, 
at  that  time,  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight  years 
old.  Dr.  Field,  in  his  admirable  discourse  on  that 
occasion,  said,  *'We  have  taken  the  year  1870,  and 
the  month  of  October  in  that  year,  as  a  time  for 
celebrating  the  formation  of  the  First  Church  of 
Christ  in  New  London,  not  because  we  think  the 
church  had  its  beginning  in  October,  1670,  but  be- 
cause our  church  records  begin  at  that  time."  He 
also  says,  "I  think  we  shall  see  that  there  is  good 
reason  for  supposing  that  there  was  a  church  here  at 
least  twenty  years  earlier  than  1670."  Dr.  Field 
was  right ;  and  he  asks  with  pertinent  force,  ''is  it 
probable  that  our  Puritan  fathers  lived  here  twenty 
years  and  more  without  a  church  organization, 
when  it  was  so  easy  a  thing  in  their  view  of  church 
government  to  form  one?  We  can  not  believe  it!" 
Clearly  Dr.  Field  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  an- 
niversary held  October  19,  1870,  was  not  the  two 
hundredth. 

The  question  may  arise  in  some  minds  why  this 
is  called  The  First  Church  of  Christ,  rather  than 
the  First  Congregational  Church.  The  answer  is 
simple.  It  was  the  first  church  on  the  ground.  x\s 
it  was  not  in  the  original  plan  that  any  but  churches 
of  the  same  order  should  be  organized  anywhere 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Colonial  Legislature, 
the  churches  first  planted  in  a  town,  as  in  Hartford, 
Middletown,  New  Haven,  New  London  etc.,  were 
called,  as  in  fact  each  was,  "The  First  Church  of 
Christ."     The  Congregational  idea,  as  expressed  by 


INTRODUCTORY.  7 

the  Separatists  of  Plymouth,  was  not  at  first  fully 
accepted  by  the  Puritans,  many  of  whom  still  clung 
to  the  traditions  of  the  English  Church.  The  idea 
of  a  State  Church  was  not  wholly  banished  from 
their  minds  till  later  years.  So  when  they  founded 
a  town  and  planted  a  church,  they  called  it  the 
First  Church  of  Christ  in  that  place,  because  it  was 
the  first  on  the  ground.  A  vote  of  this  church, 
passed  September  3,  1742,  designates  it  by  this  his- 
toric title.  And  it  is,  as  its  name  declares,  The 
First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  London. 

It  is  worth  while  to  note  that  this,  more  than  most 
Puritan  churches,  stood  for  the  congregational  prin- 
ciple of  self-government.  The  Puritan,  much  more 
than  the  Pilgrim  of  Plymouth,  leaned  to  the  stricter 
and  more  rigid  forms  of  government  and  discipline 
in  the  church.  He  had  been  taught  in  that  school, 
and  he  found  it  hard  to  unlearn  the  lesson.  It  was 
not  strange,  therefore,  that  a  pretty  rigorous  estab- 
lished ecclesiastical  polity  grew  up,  almost  as  closely 
allied  to  the  state,  and  as  relentless  as  that  from 
which  the  early  Puritans  had  fled  in  England.  In 
Massachusetts,  the  right  of  franchise  was  limited  to 
those  in  church-membership,  which  thus  carried 
with  it  certain  civil  rights.  At  New  Haven  and 
Milford  there  was  a  similar  restriction  as  late  as 
1642.  [Walker's  Hist.  Cong.  Chs.  p  122.]  The 
ecclesiastical  conditions  approached  suspiciously 
near  to  a  union  of  church  and  state;  enough,  at 
least,  so  that  stern  and  repressive  measures  were 
adopted   toward   all   who   dissented   from   the   es- 


8  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

tablished  order  in  Connecticut,  unless  there  was 
some  distinguishing  mark  by  which  they  could  be 
differentiated  from  Congregationalists  or  Presbyter- 
ians. 

There  is  no  record  that  this  church  adopted  the 
Cambridge  Platform.  But  as  it  was  in  Gloucester 
at  the  time  this  Platform  was  adopted,  and  may  have 
been  represented  in  that  synod,  the  probabilities  all 
are  that  it  did  adopt  it.  At  any  rate  it  loved  inde- 
pendency, resented  ecclesiastical  control,  and  flatly 
refused  to  adopt  the  Saybrook  Platform.  In  this 
action  it  was  followed  by  all  the  other  churches 
then  in  the  county,  with  but  two  or  three  exceptions. 
Nor  did  the  churches  now  comprising  the  New 
London  County  Conference,  except  those  in  Leban- 
on, became  consociated  till  May  31,  1815,  at  Pres- 
ton. But  at  that  late  date,  whatever  teeth  the  sys- 
tem had,  had  been  drawn ;  for  it  ceased  to  be  the 
established  order,  made  obligatory  by  law,  in  1784. 

This  church  stood  through  the  Revolutionary 
period,  and  experienced  its  demoralizing  effects. 
These  were  disastrous  to  the  material  as  well  as  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  land.  New  London  suffered 
in  both  these  respects,  as  the  following  chapters  will 
show. 

Men  from  this  church  and  congregation  were 
leaders  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle.  Capt.  James 
Chapman,  one  of  the  men  who  led  New  Londoners 
to  Bunker  Hill,  Adam  Shapley,  who  lost  his  hfe 
from  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Groton 
Heights,  Peter  Richards,  who  gave  up  his  young 


> 

■^■l)" 


INTRODUCTORY.  9 

life  in  that  awful  slaughter,  Stephen  Hempstead  and 
Thomas  Updike  who  were  associates  of  Nathan 
Hale,  and  Nathan  Hale  himself,  Jedediah  Hunting- 
ton, who  was  on  the  staf¥  of  General  Washington, 
Robert  Hallam,  Nathaniel  Shaw  Jr.,  and  others 
were  the  contributions  of  this  church  to  the  mighty 
struggle  which  ended  in  our  national  life.  It  also 
has  furnished  men  who  have  been  conspicuous  in 
the  civil  life  of  the  colony.  In  the  early  days  were 
John  Winthrop,  Fitz  John  Winthrop  and  Gurdon 
Saltonstall  whom  it  furnished  to  be  its  governors. 
Later  it  furnished  to  sit  in  the  councils  of  the  na- 
tion, Richard  Law,  senior  and  junior,  son  and 
grandson  of  Governor  Jonathan  Law,  Lyman  Law, 
Amasa  Learned,  Elias  Perkins,  Norman  Belcher, 
and  others  whose  names  are  written  on  the  annals 
of  the  nation.  This  church,  like  others  contempor- 
ary with  it  has  seen,  and  been  a  part  of  all  the  civil, 
social,  and  religious  processes  by  which  this  nation 
has  grown  from  its  infancy  to  its  present  stalwart 
manhood. 

In  passing  we  may  pause  to  note  that,  in  its  near- 
ly two  hundred  and  seventy  years  of  existence,  this 
jchurch  has  had  but  twelve  pastors.  No  pastor  has 
ever  been  driven  from  this  church  by  internal  dis- 
gensions.  Some,  doubtless,  in  every  pastorate  have 
not  liked  the  minister,  and  would  have  welcomed  a 
change.  But  if  such  feelings  existed,  they  never 
took  shape  in  efforts  to  unseat  a  pastor.  Conse- 
quently the  church  has  had  conspicuously  long,  able 
and  peaceful  terms  of  service  in  its  pulpit.     Four 


10        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

were  life  tenures.  Seven  pastorates  came  to  an  end 
because  the  incumbent  wished  to  be  released.  This 
record  is  an  unusual  one. 

The  writer  has  heard  it  intimated  that  this  church 
came  near  becoming  Unitarian,  at  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  The  story  of  Mr.  Channing's 
pastorate  will  show  that  this  is  far  from  being  true. 
Mr.  Channing,  as  was  often  done,  drafted  a  state- 
ment of  doctrine  which  he  used,  and  which  was  in 
harmony  with  his  views,  but  which  the  church  never 
adopted.  We  know  that  the  creed  and  covenant  of 
this  church  were  in  use  before  1787  in  substantially 
their  present  form.  Votes  passed  as  early  as  1742 
and  1713  lead  to  the  belief  that  they  were  in  use 
then.  They  may  have  been  framed  by  Mr.  Adams. 
Their  use  by  the  church  for  almost  a  century  was 
equivalent  to  a  formal  vote  of  adoption.  Thus  this 
church  has  always  stood  for  that  simple  doctrinal 
faith  which  was  the  center  about  which  the  early 
churches    of   New   England   were    gathered. 

The  problem  of  the  support  of  the  gospel  was  not 
always  easy  for  the  fathers  to  solve.  Their  resour- 
ces were  slender,  but  they  regarded  it  a  duty,  to 
whose  discharge  one  must  be  compelled,  if  he  would 
not  do  it  willingly,  to  help  support  the  ministrations 
of  religion.  If  some  of  their  methods  seem  to  us 
heroic,  and  bordering  on  compulsion,  we  must  not 
forget  the  school  in  which  they  were  trained.  The 
town  was  the  parish.  The  Congregational  was  the 
established  order.  Its  support  was  obligatory.  A 
tax  was  laid  on  the  grand  list  by  authority  of  the  leg- 


INTRODUCTORY.  11 

islature.  It  was  binding  and  inexorable  as  any  tax, 
and  collected  with  the  same  unsparing  rigor.  This 
was  when  the  legislature  exercised  a  general  super- 
vision over  all  ecclesiastical  affairs.  But  when  oth- 
er religious  bodies  were  established  the  practice 
of  laying  a  tax  on  the  grand  list  for  the  support  of 
a  church  which  the  person  did  not  attend  ceased. 
However,  even  after  the  ministers'  rates  were  no 
longer  laid  as  a  public  tax,  the  property  of  members 
of  the  church  and  parish  was  liable  for  the  payment 
of  their  subscriptions,  and  force  was  sometimes  used 
to  collect  them.  Often  those  who  called  themselves 
Congregationalists,  but  dissented  from  the  standing 
order,  like  the  Separates,  suffered  extreme  hardship, 
because  of  their  refusal  to  support  preaching  upon 
which  they  did  not  attend.  This  continued  with 
greater  or  less  rigor  till  1784.  In  1787,  when  the 
first  house  of  worship,  which  stood  on  the  present 
site,  was  occupied,  the  gospel  began  to  be  supported 
here  by  the  rental  of  pews. 

The  benevolences  of  this  church,  in  former  years 
not  very  remote,  have  been  of  a  notable  character. 
For  a  long  time  they  have  considerably  exceeded 
the  local  expenses.  The  total  amount  of  gifts  from 
1859  to  1898,  were  $234,736.60.  The  legacies  for 
that  period  amounted  to  about  $1,500,000.  The 
two  aggregated  upwards  of  $1,734,736.60.  This 
church  gave  to  Home  Missions  from  1793  to  1898, 
a  period  of  one  hundred  and  five  years,  over  $65,- 
366.06.  From  January  i,  1887  to  January  i,  1898, 
it  gave  to  the  causes  represented  by  the  various 


12        LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Congregational  Societies  the  sum  of  $42,193.52. 
During  the  same  time  the  church  gave  to  various 
other  branches  of  work,  mostly  local,  including 
$3,296.04  raised  for  the  erection  and  equipment  of 
Bethany  Chapel,  the  sum  of  $61,603.82. 

The  gift  of  Deacon  Asa  Otis,  during  the  ministry 
of  Rev.  Edward  W.  Bacon,  put  this  church  in  the 
front  ranks  of  givers  to  the  American  Board,  if  not 
at  the  head  of  the  list.  It  brought  into  the  treasury 
of  the  Board  about  $1,500,000,  so  valuable  were  the 
investments. 

The  far-reaching  efifects  of  these  gifts  upon  the 
civilization  and  evangelization  oi  the  world  may  be 
learned  from  a  survey  of  the  work  to  which  they 
were  applied.  The  Otis  legacy  was  used  for  evan- 
gelistic and  educational  purposes.  Secretary  Dan- 
iels writes,  "By  the  action  of  the  Board  in  1879,  one 
third  of  the  estate  was  to  be  devoted  to  our  immense 
educational  work  with  reference  especially  to  train- 
ing a  native  ministry ;  one  third  to  the  enlargement 
of  the  present  fields  along  evangelistic  lines,  and 
one  third  to  the  exploration  of  new  fields,  giving 
first  place  to  Africa."     He  writes  further: 

"Boston,  June  26,  1896. 
"Rev.  S.  L.  Blake,  D.  D.,  New  London,  Conn.: 

"Dear  Dr.  Blake:  Your  letter  of  the  25th  inst.  I  have  re- 
ceived and  note  its  inquiry.  The  Otis  legacy  was  used 
largely  for  new  work.  As  a  result  six  new  missions  were 
started:  North  Japan,  Shansi,  So.  China,  East  and  West 
Central  Africa,  and  North  Mexico.  Within  a  short  time  the 
No.  Japan  and  No.  Mexico  were  merged  in  the  Japan  and 
Mexico  missions.     Little  by  little  the  support  of  Shansi  and 


INTRODUCTORY.  13 

So.  China  were  withdrawn  from  the  fund,  and  for  the  last 
two  or  three  years  East  and  West  Central  Africa  have  alone 
been  supported  by  it.  It  would  be  difficult  to  tell  how  many 
missionaries  have  gone  to  the  field  as  a  result  of  that  gift. 
But  I  should  presume  sixty  men  are  on  the  field  today  and 
during  the  last  fifteen  years  many  others  who  are  not  asso- 
ciated with  us  now.  Then  most  of  the  work  in  those  mis- 
sions may  be  attributed  in  their  first  beginning  at  least  to 
this  gift.  The  work  at  Sendai,  Niigata,  and  almost  all  the 
work  in  the  missions  named  in  China,  and  in  fact  nearly  ev- 
erything in  East  and  West  Central  Africa,  and  the  interesting 
work  at  Parral  and  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  so  if  you  take  our  al- 
manac and  look  at  the  stations  in  these  different  missions 
and  get  the  names,  you  will  discover  the  breadth  and  scope 
of  the  work  which  has  been  begun  and  wholly  or  partially 
maintained  by  this  great  gift  which  came  out  of  your  church. 

"With  most  cordial  regards, 

"I  am,  very  sincerely  yours, 

"C.  H.  DANIELS." 

While  none  of  the  money  received  from  Mr.  Otis 
was  used  to  found  new  institutions  of  learning,  it 
was  used  "to  promote  the  educational  interests  of 
new  missions  in  their  beginnings.  But  the  Central 
Turkey  College  at  Aintab,"  the  Euphrates  College 
at  Harpoot,  and  Jaffna  College  in  Ceylon,  "received 
generous  sums  for  endowment,  and  so  parts  of  the 
legacy  are  still  giving  income."  When  it  is  remem- 
bered that  educational  and  evangelistic  work  done 
on  mission  fields,  reaches  and  determines  the  char- 
acter of  future  generations,  and  so  helps  imperative- 
ly to  shape  the  future  social,  political  and  moral  con- 
ditions among  vast  populations  of  the  globe,  it  will 
be  seen  that  this  church,  through  this  great  legacy. 


14         LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Still  reaches  out  a  strong  hand  to  give  right  direc- 
tion to  the  world's  advancing  civilization. 

In  many  ways  it  is  and  always  has  been  in 
touch  with  these  world-wide  majestic  missionary 
movements  undertaken  in  obedience  to  our  Lord's 
last  command.  One  of  the  first  corporators  of  the 
American  Board  was  Deacon  Jedediah  Huntington. 
If  in  addition  we  consider  that  men  have  gone  from 
it  into  the  ministry  who  have  filled  some  of  the  most 
prominent  pulpits  in  the  land,  is  it  extravagant  to 
give  it  a  place  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  religious 
forces  which  are  at  work  to  evangelize  the  world? 

But  the  spiritual  work  of  a  church  is  more  sig- 
nificant, than  anything  else,  of  its  place  among  the 
agencies  employed  for  the  world's  evangelization. 
This  has  been  called  a  cold  and  unresponsive 
church.  It  is  not,  and  never  has  been,  impulsive, 
nor  given  to  excitement.  But  it  has  gone  on  its 
way  quietly,  exerting  always  a  positive  influence  for 
righteousness,  and  its  power  has  been  felt  in  the 
community.  It  has  never  run  after  novelties,  and 
never  has  been  in  haste  to  adopt  changes  and  new 
niPethods.  Its  history  has  been  marked  with  revival 
periods. 

Owing  to  the  imperfect  records  it  is  impossible  to 
tell  the  exact  number  who  have  been  enrolled  as 
members  of  this  church  up  to  date,  but  it  is  more 
than  twenty-five  hundred.  At  the  beginning  in 
1642  the  membership  was  fifty.  When  the  records 
are  opened  and  read,  a  great  cloud  of  witnesses  will 
rise  up  to  call  this  church  blessed;  and  it  will  be 


INTRODUCTORY.  15 

found  that  a  goodly  company  of  choicest  spirits  en- 
tered into  the  blessed  life  in  the  communion  of  this 
body  of  Christ,  and  went  up  from  it  to  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  church  of  the  first  born  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. 

The  New  England  prayer  meeting  on  an  evening 
of  the  week,  like  the  Sunday  school,  grew  out  of  the 
revivals  with  which  the  eighteenth  century  ended, 
and  the  nineteenth  century  began.  There  was  a 
weekly  lecture  in  New  London,  held  on  Wednesday 
evening,  at  the  house  of  some  member  of  the  church. 
But  there  was  no  prayer-meeting  prior  to  1807. 
Out  of  the  unusual  degree  of  religious  interest  of 
that  year  grew  the  weekly  meetings  for  prayer 
which  are  now  a  permanent  feature  of  the  religious 
life  of  the  city.  Sabbath  schools  had  their  origin 
from  movements  within  this  church.  So  that  it  has 
been  the  pioneer  in  all  the  forms  of  religious  life 
and  activity  in  the  county  and  city  of  New  London. 

This  volume  is  set  forth  with  the  hope  that  its 
perusal  may  serve  to  kindle  a  new  interest  in  this 
venerable  church  on  the  part  of  those  who  now  com- 
pose its  membership,  and  who  have  fallen  heirs  to  so 
rich  and  noble  a  legacy.  And  if  this  shall  be  the 
result,  the  author  will  be  amply  repaid  for  the  labor 
and  research  which  it  has  cost. 

A  word  should  be  said  about  the  sources  of  the 
material  of  the  subsequent  narrative.  When  an 
author  is  quoted,  acknowledgement  is  made  in  the 
text.  But  the  principle  information  was  derived 
from  original  sources,  which  have  never  before  been 


16         LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

in  print.  This  volume  is  therefore  sent  forth  with 
the  sincere  hope  that  it  may  prove  itself  to  be  an  ad- 
dition to  the  history  of  our  city  and  to  the  ecclesias- 
tical history  of  Connecticut.  Acknowledgment  is 
hereby  made  of  the  kind  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Branch, 
for  access  to  that  portion  of  the  Hempstead  diary 
comprised  between  the  years  1731  and  1753,  and  to 
the  New  London  Historical  Society  for  access  to 
the  remaining  portions  of  that  interesting  and  valu- 
able document. 


ELIPHALET  ADAMS. 


II. 

THK    MINISTRY    OF    ELIPHALET    ADAMS. 
February  9,  1708-9.— October  4,  1753. 


There  were  no  theological  seminaries  in  1708. 
Men  were  educated  for  the  ministry  at  the  two  col- 
leges which  were  then  in  New  England,  Harvard 
and  Yale.  The  purpose  of  the  founders  of  these  in- 
stitutions was  to  educate  men  who  proposed  to  en- 
ter the  pulpit,  and  their  courses  of  study  were 
framed  with  reference  to  this  end.  If  not  at  so  early 
a  date,  yet  later  men  often  completed  their  prepara- 
tion for  the  pulpit  by  pursuing  a  course  of  study 
with  some  eminent  divine  who,  in  those  days  before 
the  schools  of  the  prophets,  was  often  a  profound 
theologian,  a  learned  scholar  in  Hebrew  and  Greek, 
as  well  as  versed  in  the  essential  work  of  the  pulpit 
and  the  parish.  And  it  may  be  said  that  often  the 
country  parson  was  the  great  preacher,  and  thor- 
oughly understood  the  art  of  making  sermons. 
Yale  College  had  not  been  so  long  in  existence  in 
1707-8  as  to  have  become  a  source  of  supply  for  va- 
cant pastorates.  So  that  when  this  church,  at  the 
beginning  of  that  year,  found  itself  without  a  shep- 
herd, it  had  to  search  for  another  among  college- 


18        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

bred  men  who  had  been  graduated  from  the  college 
of  the  Bay  Colony. 

Several  reasons  had  operated  to  lead  this  church 
to  look  to  Massachusetts  for  its  early  pastors.  It 
was,  itself,  of  Massachusetts  origin.  Its  early  mem- 
bers were  emigrants  from  Massachusetts.  Some  of 
them  had  come  from  the  Boston  churches.  Their 
family  ties  were  still  in  Massachusetts.  They  still 
had  an  effection  for  the  institutions  which  they  had 
left  behind  them.  Thus  Bradstreet  recorded,  in 
1672,  ''Mrs  Ann  Latimore  received  by  letter  from 
the  old  church  at  Boston."  Again  in  1717  Mr. 
Adams  recorded,  "Thomas  Fosdyke  was  recom- 
mended to  our  communion  from  the  old  church  at 
Boston."  This  affectionate  way  of  speaking  shows 
that  their  hearts  still  beat  warmly  for  the  old  home- 
steads. Besides  the  pastors  of  the  churches  in  Bos- 
ton and  vicinity  were  men  of  recognized  ability,  of 
wide  reputation,  of  far-seeing  judgment  and  of  rich 
experience.  They  were  known  to  the  people  in 
New  London.  Their  advice  was  naturally  sought 
in  the  serious  matter  of  securing  a  pastor,  and  that 
advice  was  generally  followed. 

When  Mr.  Saltonstall  was  taken  by  the  legisla- 
ture of  the  colony  to  be  its  governor,  the  church 
naturally  searched,  where  it  had  searched  so  suc- 
cessfully before,  to  find  his  successor.  Mr.  Salton- 
stall relinquished  the  pastoral  office  Jan.  i,  1707-8, 
when  he  accepted  the  election  of  the  legislature. 
However,  it  was  not  till  June  7  of  that  year,  that 
the  town  met  to  determir^e  upon  the  proper  means 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  19 

to  obtain  "an  able  and  faithful  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel."    At  this  meeting  of  the  town,  Deacon  Wil- 
liam Douglas,  and  Deacon  John  Plumbe  were  cho- 
sen and  directed  to  repair  to  Boston,  with  such  dis- 
patch as  might  be  possible,  to  confer  with  the  rev- 
erend clergy  there,  with  reference  to  a  fitting  per- 
son for  the  office  of  pastor  of  the  now  pastorless 
church.     It  seems  that  the  attention  of  the  town 
had  been  called  to  Mr.  Eliphalet  Adams,  who  was 
not  wholly  a  stranger  in  these  parts.     For  the  com- 
mittee were  directed  to  mention  particularly  to  the 
reverend  clergy  of  Boston,  whom  they  were  sent  to 
consult,    "The    Reverend    Mr.    Adams    who    now 
preaches  in  Boston,  and  ask  their  thoughts  concern- 
ing his  being  called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry 
here."     But,  whoever  was  recommended,  the  com- 
mittee were  instructed  to  invite  him  to  come  and 
preach  on  trial,  as  it  used  to  be  called,  or,  as  the  vote 
reads,  "for  some  convenient  term  in  order  to  a  set- 
tlement, if  it  may  be,  and  to  wait  upon  him  in  his 
journey   hither."     To  this   end  the   town   ordered 
the  selectmen  to  furnish  the  deacons  with  money  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  their  journey. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  note  that  Deacon  Doug- 
las was  now  sent  to  Boston  on  a  quest  for  a  pastor, 
as  his  father  had  been  more  than  forty  years  before. 
As  the  town  voted  to  the  father  a  piece  of  land 
"which  is  for  the  satisfaction  of  his  journey  to  Bos- 
ton," when  he  went  to  secure  a  minister  for  the 
church  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Bulkeley,  so  the 
town  voted  to  the  son  a  gratuity  of  land  to  express 


20         LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

its  satisfaction  with  the  result  of  his  journey.     A 
similar  gratuity  was  voted  to  Deacon  Plumbe. 

Their  mission  was  successful.  On  their  return 
they  reported  that  they  had  secured  the  services  of 
Mr.  Eliphalet  Adams,  a  young  minister  of  great 
promise,  and  the  man  about  whom  they  had  been 
directed  to  make  special  enquiries.  Upon  receiv- 
ing this  report  the  town  voted  that  ''Mr.  Adams  is 
well  accepted  by  the  town  for  the  ministry,  and  if 
he  shall  see  cause  to  settle,  we  will  do  what  is  hon- 
orable for  his  settlement  and  support."  He  arrived 
in  town  August  20.  September  8  the  town  invited 
him,  by  a  hearty  and  unanimous  vote  to  settle  as 
the  pastor  of  the  church,  and  requested  a  speedy  or- 
dination. It  will  be  remembered  that  the  legislature, 
when  it  chose  Saltonstall  as  governor,  voted  to  the 
town  a  gratuity  of  £100,  as  a  partial  compensation 
for  depriving  the  people  of  their  minister.  This 
was  offered  to  Mr.  Adams.  To  it  were  added  £88 
by  subscription.  This  sum  was  in  addition  to  the 
annual  salary,  which  was  fixed  at  £90.  This  sum 
was  made  up  in  three  ways,  by  town  rates,  by  the 
interest  of  the  Liveen  legacy,  and  by  stranger's 
money.  The  "stranger's  money"  was  the  loose 
cash  given  by  visitors  in  the  town  who  might  attend 
church.  *Tt  was  customary  for  strangers  of  dis- 
tinction to  make  a  handsome  donation  on  such  oc- 
casions, and  it  was  usually  kept  distinct  from  the 
offerings  of  the  inhabitants ;  the  latter  being  often 
deducted  from  their  rates."  [Hist.  N.  L.  p  379.] 
That  is,  the  town  rather  than  the  minister,  for  whose 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  21 

benefit  they  were  given,  reaped  for  itself  the  advan- 
tage of  these  handsome  donations. 

For  some  reason  the  request  of  the  town  for  an 
immediate  ordination  was  not  acceded  to.  This 
event  did  not  take  place  till  over  a  year  after  the 
departure  of  Mr.  Saltonstall.  On  the  records  of  the 
church  is  entered  the  following :  *'The  records  of  the 
church  in  N.  London  kept  by  Eliphalet  Adams  from 
Feby  9vJ^o?-9x.who  was  on  that  day  ordained  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  James  Noyes,  Mr.  Timothy  Wood- 
bridge,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Whiting."  Mr.  Noyes  was 
from  Stonington,  Mr.  Woodbridge  from  Hartford, 
and  Mr.  W^hiting  from  Windham.  The  latter  had 
married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Rev.  William 
Adams  of  Dedham  by  his  wife  Alice  Bradford,  and 
was  therefore  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Adams.  Dr. 
Field  says  that  he  preached  Mr.  Adams'  ordination 
sermon.  On  this  occasion  Governor  Saltonstall  ap- 
peared for  the  town  to  declare  to  the  council  their 
acceptance  of  the  candidate. 

Mr.  Adams  had  now  begun  a  pastorate  which  was 
to  continue  for  nearly  half  a  century,  and  end  only 
with  his  life. 

Before  taking  up  the  story  of  this  pastorate,  we 
may  stop  to  learn  what  we  can  of  the  man  and  his 
antecedents.  He  was  descended  from  William 
Adams,  who  came  to  Cambridge  in  1635,  was  made 
a  freeman  of  the  Bay  Colony,  and  moved  to  Ipswich 
before  1642.  This  William  Adams,  Sen.  had  a 
son  William,  who  seems  to  have  been  born  in  Eng- 
land, to  have  followed  his  father  to  this  country,  and 


22         LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

to  have  settled  in  Ipswich.  He  also  had  a  son  Wil- 
liam, who  was  born  in  Ipswich,  May  27,  1650.  His 
desire  for  an  education  was  very  strong.  Aug.  13, 
1667  he  says  that  he  went  to  Cambridge  to  attend 
commencement,  and  "sought  for  admission  into  col- 
ledge,  could  not  obtain  it,  pecuniae  deerant, "  that  is, 
friends  were  wanting.  However,  assisted  by  an  un- 
cle, or  other  relatives,  he  "was  admitted  into  col- 
ledge"  September  21  of  the  same  year,  and  gradua- 
ted August  8,  1671.  He  made  the  following  entry 
in  his  diary :  "I  was  admitted  to  ye  degree  of  Batch- 
elour  of  Arts  in  Harvard  Colledge  in  N.  E.  under 
ye  Reverend  Charles  Chancey  President."  Decem- 
ber 21,  of  the  same  year,  he  was  called  to  Dedham, 
Mass.,  but  declined.  July  15,  1672,  a  second  invita- 
tion was  sent  which  received  the  same  answer.  A 
third  was  extended  to  him  March  24,  1673.  Two 
days  later  he  sent  a  letter  accepting  the  call.  May 
27  he  makes  this  entry  in  his  diary :  "This  day  (be- 
ing also  my  birthday)  I  removed  from  Cambridge 
to  Dedham  to  ye  solemn  undertaking  of  ye  ministry 
there  on  triall  for  future  settlement."  The  trial  was 
mutually  satisfactory.  For  December  3,  1673,  ^^ 
writes  in  his  diary,  'T  was  ordained  Pastor  of  ye 
Church  of  Christ  in  Dedham,  Mr.  Wilson  giving  ye 
charge,  Elder  Hunting  and  Deacon  Aldis  joyning 
in  laying  on  of  hands :  Mr.  Danforth  of  Roxbury 
gave  ye  right  hand  of  fellowship." 

A  contemporary  writes  of  him  that  he  was 
"among  the  choicest  ripe  fruits  of  this  young  gener- 
ation."    He  left  college  with  the  esteem  and  res- 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  23 

pect  of  his  teachers,  and  with  a  character  for  learn- 
ing, integrity  and  piety  which  gave  pleasing  prom- 
ise for  the  future. 

October  21,  1674,  he  writes  in  his  diary,  "I  was 
married  to  Mary  Manning  of  Cambridge."  By  her 
he  had,  among  other  children,  Eliphalet.  March 
26,  1677,  he  wrote  in  his  diary,  ''My  son  EHphalet 
(so  named  from  ye  Lord's  special  preservation  and 
deliverance  of  him  and  his  mother  from  ye  danger 
yy  were  both  in  at  his  birth)  he  was  born  about  2  or 
3  hours  before  day."  Eliphalet  himself  wrote  in  a 
brief  diary  which  remains,  "Anno  1677,  March  26, 
I  was  born  a  sinner  into  an  evil  world."  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Adams  wrote  in  his  journal,  "Anno  1679 — June 
24.  My  dear  and  loving  wife  departed  this  life  after 
we  had  been  married  and  lived  together  4  years  and 
8  months,  whereby  I  am  bereaved  of  a  sweet  and 
pleasant  companion  and  left  in  a  very  lonely  and 
solitary  condition."  Her  infant  son,  Eliphalet,  was 
less  than  three  years  old.  Mr.  Adams  wrote  again 
in  his  diary,  "Anno  1680 — March  2^.  I  was  mar- 
ried to  Alice  Bradford,  daughter  to  Major  William 
Bradford  of  Plimouth."  She  was  granddaughter  of 
the  famous  Governor  Bradford.  Mr.  Adams  was  a 
pulpit  orator  of  considerable  note  in  his  day.  He 
was  preacher  of  the  election  sermon  before  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Legislature,  May  27,  1685.  He  died  Au- 
gust 17  of  that  year;  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five 
years  and  three  months,  and  after  a  pastorate  of 
twelve  years.  Of  two  sermons  preached  by  him, 
and  published,  it  was  said  that  they  were  eminently 


24         LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

practical,  devout  and  fervent,  and  that  the  language 
of  them  "is  pure  Saxon  English,  and  has  at  times 
much  force  and  vigor,  though  plain  and  un- 
adorned." Eliphalet  wrote  in  his  diary  as  follows : 
"1685,  Aug.  17,  My  Father  left  this  evil  world  and 
me  an  orphan  to  God's  Providence  and  a  wide 
world."  At  the  funeral  a  practice  was  introduced 
which  has  since  come  to  be  universally  observed. 
No  word  of  prayer  cheered  an  early  New  England 
funeral.  Lechford  records,  in  his  book  of  1642, 
that  "at  Burials,  nothing  is  read,  nor  any  Funeral 
Sermon  made,  but  all  the  neighborhood,  or  a  good 
company  of  them,  come  together  by  the  tolling  of 
the  bell,  and  carry  the  dead  solemnly  to  his  grave, 
and  there  stand  by  him  while  he  is  buried.  The 
Ministers  are  most  commonly  present,"  When  the 
Rev.  William  Adams  was  buried  prayer  was  offered 
for  the  first  time,  at  a  funeral,  in  the  colonies.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  appropriate  religious  ceremon- 
ies at  the  burial  of  the  dead,  which  have  won  their 
way  to  general  usage.  Such  was  the  father  of  Eliph- 
alet Adams.  His  widow,  Alice  Bradford,  married 
Major  James  Fitch  of  Norwich.  As  Eliphalet  was 
but  eight  years  old  when  his  father  died,  and  as  his 
step-mother  married  Mr.  Fitch  the  next  year,  all 
his  boyhood,  until  he  left  for  college,  must  have 
been  spent  in  the  home  of  Mr.  Fitch,  in  Norwich. 
He  was  therefore  not  a  stranger  in  New  London 
County.  His  antecedents  and  acquirements  were 
well  known.  It  did  not,  therefore,  take  the  people 
in  New  London  long  to  make  up  their  minds,  and 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  25* 

they  were  ready  for  his  settlement  among  them  five 
months  before  the  event  took  place. 

Eliphalet  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in 
1694,  when  but  just  passed  the  age  of  seventeen. 
If  he  pursued  the  full  course  of  four  years,  he  was 
ready  for  his  matriculation  at  the  unusually  early 
age  of  thirteen.  Evidently  he  was  a  scholar  of 
more  than  common  promise,  which  his  subsequent 
career  abundantly  fulfilled. 

Mr.  Adams  was  now  the  accredited  and  ordained 
pastor  of  the  church.  He  was  the  last  pastor  to  be 
ordained  at  the  instance  of  the  town.  The  pew 
question  was  still  a  burning  one.  The  vote  of  the 
town  still  had  to  be  invoked  to  settle  disputes  be- 
tween parties  who  desired  the  same  seat.  It  was 
a  matter  of  vital  importance  to  people  of  spirit  and 
of  social  ambitions  what  pew  they  should  occupy 
in  church.  Soon  after  Mr.  Adams'  ordination  a 
committee  was  chosen  to  have  the  matter  in  charge. 
But  no  one  was  to  be  removed  from  his  seat  except 
to  be  seated  higher.  In  graduating  the  seats  the 
committee  were  instructed  to  consider  age,  service 
done  to  the  town,  and  the  share  borne  in  town  af- 
fairs. Birth,  rank  and  social  station  had,  and 
claimed,  certain  privileges  in  the  house  of  God 
which  today  are  not  recognized.  It  seems  strange 
to  us  to  see  social  emulation,  in  the  matter  of  the 
place  where  one  should  sit  in  church,  carried  to  such 
an  extreme  of  controversy  that  the  authority  of  the 
town  must  be  invoked  to  settle  the  dispute.  Such 
disputes  did  arise,  and  were  carried  to  such  an  ex- 


26        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

treme  of  bitterness.  In  1723  the  wives  of  two  men, 
who  were  brothers-in-law,  each  claimed  the  upper 
seat,  which  was  regarded  as  the  post  of  honor. 
Neither  would  yield.  A  committee  appointed  by 
the  town  had  to  settle  the  dispute  by  ordering  one 
of  the  parties  to  desist  from  going  into  the  pew.  A 
similar  dispute  arose  in  1734  over  the  seat  of  honor 
in  the  late  Governor  Saltonstall's  pew.  September 
29  of  that  year,  Mr.  Hempstead  wrote  in  his  diary : 
"The  late  Governor  Saltonstall's  Pew  stove  down 
the  Door  and  Pannels.  It  seems  to  be  the  effect  of 
a  Contention  between  the  2  Brothers'  wives  which 
of  ye  females  shall  have  the  upper  hand." 

At  this  time  the  pews  of  greatest  honor  were  not 
in  the  broad  aisle,  but  on  either  side  of  the  pulpit. 
It  was  here  that  Governor  Winthrop  sat.  Govern- 
or Saltonstall  succeeded  him.  For  early  in  the  min- 
istry of  Mr.  Adams,  leave  was  granted  him  to  build 
a  pew  for  himself — the  pew  about  which  his  two 
daughters-in-law  had  the  dispute  referred  to  above 
— on  the  north  side  of  the  pulpit,  "between  the  pul- 
pit and  the  northwest  corner  pew,"  "his  honor 
agreeing  with  the  successors  of  the  late  Gov.  Win- 
throp for  removing  the  pew  he  sat  in,  either  home 
to  the  pulpit,  or  home  to  the  corner  pew,  to  make 
room  for  building  the  pew  aforesaid."  [Hist.  N.  L. 
P  379-]  Soon  after  this  the  capacity  of  the  house 
of  worship  was  increased  by  building  an  additional 
gallery,  on  each  side  above  the  first.  This  would 
seem  to  point,  not  only  to  the  growth  of  the  town, 
but  also  to  the  popularity  of  the  new  pastor,  who 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  27 

was  a  preacher  of  more  than  usual  power  for  those 
times. 

We  have  no  means  of  fixing  the  exact  member- 
ship at  the  date  of  Mr.  Adams'  ordination,  but,  as 
only  a  year  had  passed  since  Mr.  Saltonstall  left  the 
pulpit,  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  church  had  not 
seriously  declined,  especially  as  Mr.  Adams  himself 
had  charge  of  the  pulpit  during  half  of  that  year. 
We  may  then  fix  the  membership  at  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  There  were  added  to  the  church 
during  his  ministry  387  whose  names  are  enrolled 
upon  the  printed  list.  Most  of  these  were  admitted 
on  profession  of  faith. 

There  is  the  same  reason  to  believe  that  other 
names  should  be  added  to  the  list  of  members  re- 
ceived during  this  long  pastorate,  which  we  found 
in  the  case  of  Mr.  Saltonstall.  In  1890  the  writer 
received  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  John  B.  New- 
comb,  Elgin,  Ills :  "My  great  great  grandfather, 
Hezekiah  Newcomb,  was  baptized  and  joined  your 
church  December  25,  1715.  His  name  and  baptism 
were  omitted  in  your  printed  list  of  1870."  In  the 
records  of  baptisms  by  Air.  Adams  under  that  date 
is  the  following  entry :  ''Hezekiah  Newcomb  made 
profession  of  the  Christian  faith  and  was  baptized 
Hezekiah."  If,  as  he  evidently  supposed,  Mr.  New- 
comb was  then  received  as  a  member  of  the  church, 
then  all  others  were  so  received  of  whom  Mr. 
Adams  made  a  similar  entry.  The  argument  of  the 
former  volume  need  not  be  repeated  here.  It  will 
be  sufficient  to  say  that  such  an  entry  today  would 
mean  that  on  confessing  Christ  the  candidate  re- 


28        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

ceived  the  rite  of  baptism,  not  having  been  bap- 
tized in  infancy.  It  seems  clear  that  Mr.  Adams 
made  a  distinction  between  those  who  owned  the 
i  covenant  and  were  baptized  or  had  their  children 
baptized,  and  those  who  "made  profession  of  the 
Christian  Faith  entered  into  covenant  with  God  and 
were  baptized."  That  he  understood  such  as  mak- 
ing a  public  profession  of  religion  upon  joining  the 
church  appears  from  the  case  of  Catherine  Garrett. 
Her  name  is  entered  by  him  upon  the  list  of  mem- 
bers under  date  of  February  5,  1738.  Her  baptism 
he  records  thus :  "January  29,  1738  Catherine  Gar- 
rett, an  Indian  and  a  prisoner,  condemned  for  mur- 
der of  her  child  made  confession  of  her  fault  and 
was  baptized."  He  gives  the  following  account  of 
her.  "Having  never  been  Baptized,  she  was  Earn- 
estly Desirous  of  that,  wherefore  great  pains  were 
taken  to  Acquaint  her  with  the  main  principles  of 
the  Christian  Religion  and  the  Nature  of  the  Cov- 
enant of  Grace,  the  understanding  of  which  her  for- 
mer good  education  made  more  easy  to  her.  And 
after  some  time,  upon  her  making  an  Open  Ac- 
knowledgement of  her  great  and  Crying  Sins,  tak- 
ing shame  to  herself  and  manifesting  her  Sorrow  on 
that  account ;  Professing  the  Christian  Faith  and 
Consenting  to  the  Covenant  of  grace  she  was  Bap- 
tized. Soon  after,  She  was  Extremely  Desirous  to 
partake  with  us  at  the  Lord's  Table  before  she  suf- 
fered, and  upon  its  appearing  that  she  understood 
the  Nature  and  Design  of  that  Ordinance,  at  her 
request  she  was  allowed  and  had  the  opportunity  to 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  29 

Communicate  with  us  twice."  She  is  enrolled  by 
Mr.  Adams  upon  the  list  of  those  whom  he  received 
into  the  church.  Then  all  others  who  professed  the 
Christian  faith,  consented  to  the  covenant,  and  were 
baptized,  should  be  considered  as  having  been  ad- 
mitted to  full  church  privileges.  There  are  ii6  en- 
tries of  this  sort.  And  it  is  a  significant  fact  that 
during  the  year  or  two  which  immediately  followed 
the  great  awakening,  a  greater  number  of  people 
than  during  any  other  equal  period  "made  profes- 
sion of  the  Christian  faith,  entered  into  covenant 
with  God  and  were  baptized."  This  would  seem  to 
point  out  that  the  revival  which  visited  the  church 
in  1740-41,  had  the  effect  to  awaken  people  to  their 
duty  to  God.  It  is  also  worth  mention  that  there 
are,  during  this  period,  fewer  entries  which  state  that 
persons  owned  or  renewed  the  covenant  to  have 
their  children  baptized.  The  practice  of  the  half- 
way covenant,  and  a  quickened  spiritual  state,  did 
not  seem  to  thrive  together. 

While  upon  this  subject  we  may  say  that  three 
of  the  Uncases  were  received  into  relation  to  the 
church  during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams.  Octo- 
ber 31,  1742,  Mr.  Adams  made  the  following  entry 
upon  the  records :  "Benjamin  Uncas,  sachem  of  the 
Mohegan  Indians  and  his  son  Benjamin  with  his 
wife,  Ann,  also  Lucy  Uncas  made  profession  of  the 
Christian  faith  and  were  baptized.  Benjamin  Un- 
cas Jr.'s  child  Benjamin ;  Benjamin  Uncas  Sen.'s 
younger  children  Esther,  Mary."  Lucy  Uncas  was 
married  by  Mr.  Adams  to  Samuel  Pye.     The  entry 


30        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

on  the  records  of  marriages  reads,  ''October  23, 
[1744]  Samuel  Pye  and  Lucy  Uncas  of  Mohegan." 
Later,  April  10,  1748,  and  April  23,  1750  other  chil- 
dren of  Ben  Uncas  Jr.  were  baptized  by  Mr. 
Adams.  Dr.  Love  of  Hartford  writes :  "This  Ben- 
jamin Uncas  Jr.  also  became  sachem,  the  sixth  in 
the  royal  line,  and  the  third  Ben  Uncas.  It  has 
been  known  that  Ben  Uncas,  second  of  the  name 
above,  avowed  his  acceptance  of  Christianity  about 
1736.  [De  Forrest,  Indians  of  Conn.  pp.  345, 
6,  447.  Col.  Rec.  Vol.  VI.]"  It  is  difficult  not  to 
believe  that  the  record  of  the  baptism  of  this  chief 
with  his  family,  was  the  crowning  act  of  his  accept- 
ance of  Christianity,  which  he  had  avowed  six  years 
before,  and  that  it  then  culminated  in  his  becoming 
a  member  of  this  church.  Dr.  Love  goes  on  to  say, 
''This  *  ^  *  will  explain  the  phrase  used  in  one  of 
his  petitions  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Adams,  our  'faithful 
and  venerable  pastor.'  [De  Forrest,  p  451.]"  Mr. 
Adams  actually  was  his  pastor.  Then  Dr.  Love 
seems  to  be  correct  when  he  says :  "hence  you  have 
the  unparalleled  honor  of  having  on  your  historical 
roll  two  Mohegan  sachems." 

One  other  baptism  deserves  a  notice.  "April  10, 
1748,  Betty  Garret,  alias  Johnson's  child  Hannah." 
This  Hannah  Garret  was  daughter  of  Elizabeth  Gar- 
ret, of  whom  this  record  is  to  be  found  among  the 
baptisms.  "May  i,  1743,  Elizabeth  Garret,  a  Mo- 
hegan Indian  made  profession  of  the  Christian  faith, 
and  was  baptized  EHzabeth."  "This  Hannah  Gar- 
ret  grew  up  under   Christian   influences,   attended 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  31 

Wheelock's  Indian  School  at  Lebanon,  and  after- 
wards married  David  Fowler,  one  of  the  pupils, 
whose  sister  was  the  wife  of  Samson  Occum.  Da- 
vid Fowler  was  the  companion  of  Occum  in  the  first 
mission  westwards  to  the  Oneida  Indians,  and  after- 
wards the  assistant  of  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland  there. 
He  and  Hannah  married,  if  I  remember  correctly,  in 
1766,  and  they  kept  house  for  Kirkland  in  the  wil- 
derness. Fowler  was  famous  as  a  Christian  Indian 
in  his  time,  a  school-master  at  Montauk,  the  founder 
of  the  Indian  town,  Brothertown,  Oneida,  N.  Y." 
Then  we  think  it  clear  that  the  names  of  the  cel- 
ebrated Indians  belong  on  the  list  of  those  who  were 
admitted  to  full  membership  in  this  church  during 
the  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams.  If  cases  like  these,  be 
considered  as  admission  to  full  fellowship  in  the 
church,  the  number  received  by  Mr.  Adams  was 
five  hundred  and  three. 

A  study  of  the  records  of  the  church  shows  that 
Mr  Adams  continued  the  practice  of  the  halfway 
covenant  which  his  predecessor  had  introduced. 
Thus  in  July,  1709,  he  records,  "Samuel  Chapman 
owned  the  covenant  and  was  baptized."  It  thus  ap- 
pears that  persons  were  admitted  to  halfway  coven- 
ant membership  who  had  not  been  baptized  in  in- 
fancy, which  was  rather  unusual,  but  not  unknown. 
Mather  wrote  in  1726:  "It  is  well  known  there  is 
not  one  person  in  all  the  country  free  from  scan- 
dalous and  notorious  disqualifying  ignorance  and 
impiety  but  what  may  repair  to  some  hundred  min- 
isters in  these  colonies  and  be  baptized."  A  large 
number  of  entries  like  the  case  of  Samuel  Chapman,. 


32        LATER   HISTORY  OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

just  quoted,  show  that  Mr.  Adams  was  among  the 
''hundred  ministers." 

The  practice  of  admitting-  to  baptismal  privileges 
persons  who  had  no  reHgious  experience  but  led  ex- 
emplary lives,  easily  grew  into  the  still  looser  and 
more  disastrous  practice  of  admitting  to  the  priv- 
ileges of  the  Lord's  supper  "all  adult  members  of 
the  church  who  are  not  scandalous."  By  ''adult 
members"  was  meant,  not  those  who  had  experi- 
enced renewing  grace,  but  all  who  lived  exemplary 
lives,  and  who  were  descended  from  "such  as  make 
a  serious  profession  of  true  Religion."  That  is,  re- 
ligious character  was  held,  in  a  certain  sense,  to  be 
a  matter  of  inheritance,  descending  from  father  to 
son,  if  the  son  did  not  forfeit  it  by  scandalous  liv- 
ing. 

There  was  a  sort  of  fellowship  between  the 
churches  in  the  matter  of  the  halfway  covenant. 
Persons  who  had  taken  the  covenant  elsewhere, 
were  allowed  to  present  their  children  for  baptism 
here.  Thus  it  is  recorded:  "June  13,  1714,  John 
Larabie  of  Coventry,  having  with  his  wife  owned 
the  covenant  at  Windham,  had  his  child  baptized." 
During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams  over  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  cases  are  recorded,  in  which  per- 
sons were  admitted  to  the  sacrament  of  baptism  for 
themselves  or  their  children,  without  making  public 
profession  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  becoming 
identified  with  the  church  in  full  membership. 

A  halfway  covenant  that  was  in  use  in  the  old 
North  Church  in  Boston  from  1662  may  be  cited 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  33 

here  as  a  sample  of  the  engagement  into  which  per- 
sons were  required  to  enter,  who  had  their  children 
baptized,  or  were  baptized  themselves,  without  en- 
tering into  full  relations  with  the  church.  It  con- 
tained the  following:  "You  *  *  *  do  here  give  up 
yourself  to  God  in  Christ,  promising  in  his  help  to 
endeavor  a  walk  according  to  the  rules  of  that  holy 
religion  all  your  days,  choosing  God  as  your  best 
good  and  your  last  end,  and  Christ  as  your  prophet 
and  priest  and  king  of  your  soul  forever."  It  will 
be  seen  by  this  that  the  church  exercised  a  kind  of 
watch  over  those  who  took  this  covenant.  For  fre- 
quently the  record  of  these  baptisms  is  accompanied 
by  a  statement  of  the  fact  that  a  fault  was  acknowl- 
edged, or  the  church  was  satisfied.  Baptism  was 
thus  maintained,  but  the  Lord's  Supper  was  neglect- 
ed and  often  the  church  went  into  decay. 

Just  how  far  the  loose  practices  of  baptism  af- 
fected the  morals  of  the  town,  and  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  church  it  is  impossible  definitely  to  state,  but 
a  study  of  the  records  of  the  church  will  show  a 
number  of  cases  of  discipline  for  flagrant  violations 
of  the  law  of  social  purity,  and  for  other  vices  unbe- 
coming in  those  who  were  in  even  nominal  relations 
to  the  church.  That  a  man  of  so  evangelical 
spirit  as  Mr.  Adams  seemed  to  be,  should  continue 
a  practice  fraught  with  so  much  evil,  serves  to  show 
how  strongly  it  was  intrenched  in  the  churches. 
Even  Jonathan  Edwards,  in  the  first  years  of  his 
ministry  adopted  it,  and  when  he  finally  refused  to 
continue  it,  his  refusal  cost  him  his  pastorate. 


34        LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

As  showing  the  customs  of  the  times  with  refer- 
ence to  the  matter  of  baptism,  the  following  records 
are  of  interest :  "June  15,  John  Plumbe's  child,  Josh- 
ua ;  he  also  engaged  for  the  Christian  education  of 
the  daughter  of  Benjamin  Fox,  who  was  baptized 
Sarah."  "May  17,  [1730.]  John  Calkins'  child 
committed  to  the  education  of  Bathsheba  Williams, 
and  baptized  upon  her  promise  for  its  Christian  edu- 
cation." "June  7  John  Calkins'  child  committed  to 
care  of  Jonathan  Calkins  and  his  wife  and  baptized 
on  their  promise  for  its  education,  Mary."  "John 
Calkins'  child  given  in  care  of  Richard  Douglas  and 
wife  and  baptized  on  their  promise  for  its  education, 
Ann." 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams,  children  were 
usually  presented  for  baptism  on  Sunday,  in  the 
church,  but  in  cases  of  sickness  the  service  was  held 
at  the  house  of  the  parent.  Frequently  children 
were  presented  at  the  mid-week  lecture.  He  ad- 
ministered the  rite  to  1817  children  and  199  adults. 
He  married  526  couples. 

Of  the  methods  in  use  for  the  reception  of  mem- 
bers into  the  communion  of  the  church  we  have  no 
account,  but  one  or  two  votes  give  some  hint  as  to 
the  course  which  was  probably  pursued.  For  ex- 
ample:  "At  a  church  meeting,  Sept.  2,  1726,  where- 
as it  appears  to  us  yt  yr  are  diverse  persons  among 
us  of  good  character  and  deportmt  who  stand  oflf 
from  joining  to  our  communion  because  it  hath 
been  insisted  upon  yt  a  relation  of  yr  experience 
should  be  brot  by  those  who  ofifer  to  join  themselves 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  35 

to  ye  church  for  wch  yy  could  see  no  warrant ;  it  is 
now  agreed  and  voted  that  (although  it  would  be 
very  acceptable  to  us  yt  persons  offering  thems  to 
our  communion  should  continue  still  so  to  do),  yet 
where  any  have  a  very  great  scruple  and  difficulty 
upon  their  spirits  to  comply  wth  this  custom,  it 
shall  for  ye  future  be  left  indifferent ;  yet  it  is  ex- 
pected yt  their  desire  of  communion  shall  be  signi- 
fied to  ye  church  before  it  be  signified  to  ye  congre- 
gation. Voted  in  the  affirmative."  This  vote 
points  to  the  previous  custom  of  requiring  a  nar- 
rative of  personal  religious  experience,  from 
those  seeking  admission  into  the  church,  given  be- 
fore the  church.  The  custom  was  modified  evi- 
dently to  meet  cases  which  seemed  to  come  within 
the  halfway  covenant.  Mr.  Adams  had  been  an  as- 
sistant of  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin  Colman,  pastor  of 
Brattle  Street  Church,  Boston.  In  1699  ^^at  church 
took  a  new  and  radical  departure,  and  abandoned 
the  practice  of  requiring  a  public  narration  of  per- 
sonal experience  from  those  seeking  admission  to 
its  membership.  It  seems  likely  that  the  vote 
quoted  above  was  framed  in  imitation  of  the  course 
pursued  by  the  Brattle  Street  Church,  with  which 
Mr.  Adams  had  been  familiar. 

A  later  vote  seems  to  point  to  the  custom  of  re- 
quiring assent  to  a  creed  and  covenant  by  those  who 
were  received  into  full  fellowship.  It  was  as  follows  : 
"At  a  meeting  of  a  great  number  of  the  Brethren 
at  John  Coyt's  Sept.  3,  1742,  notice  being  given  a 
week  before,  yt  as  many  of  ye  Brethren  as  could 


36        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

conveniently,  should  then  meet  together.  It  was 
proposed  and  agreed  to,  yt  this  phrase  in  our  church 
covenant  where  ye  person  promises  to  walk  wth  ye 
Church  of  Christ,  in  ye  great  Salvation,  etc.,  should 
for  the  future  be  thus  altered  into  walk  wth 
this  church,  etc.,"  a  change  which  remains  in  the 
covenant  to  this  day.  Certainly  whoever  united 
with  this  church  took  its  covenant,  and  the  expres- 
sion, which  we  have  seen  occurs  frequently  in  the 
records,  "made  profession  of  the  Christian  faith, 
entered  into  covenant,  and  was  baptized,"  seems  al- 
so to  point  to  an  assent  to  some  statement  of  doc- 
trine such  as  a  creed.  While  most  of  the  elaborate 
creeds  of  the  Congregational  churches,  grew  out  of 
the  theological  discussions  which  were  peculiar  to 
the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  yet  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that,  before  1742  this  church  had  a 
confession  of  faith  and  a  covenant. 

A  further  study  of  the  records  of  the  church  also 
shows  that  suitable  discipline  was  not  neglected, 
and  that  all  who  were  admitted  to  church  privi- 
leges, whether  in  full  or  in  part,  were  expected  and 
required  to  walk  orderly,  and  live  lives  which  were 
not  scandalous.  Several  entries  upon  the  records 
point  to  the  rigorous  administration  of  discipline. 
For  example:  "J^^^  ^4>  1710.  Samuel  Fosdyck  and 
his  wife  having  made  satisfaction  of  their  offence, 
owned  the  covenant  and  had  their  children  bap- 
tized." Such  records  show  that  the  church  claimed 
and  exercised  the  right  of  watch  and  discipline,  not 
only  over  those  in  full  communion,  but  also  over 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  37 

persons  who  sought  from  it  for  their  children  the 
coveted  blessing  of  the  Sacrament  of  baptism,  with- 
out taking  upon  themselves  the  full  vows  of  God, 
and  entering  into  full  covenant  relations  with  the 
church.  But  even  this  watch  and  care  failed  to 
ward  off  the  evils  of  the  loose  views  of  baptism,  and 
of  relation  to  the  visible  body  of  Christ.  It  was 
recorded  of  a  member  of  the  church  that,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1713,  he  'Svas  publicly  admonished  for  ex- 
cessive drinking."  A  year  later  the  records  state 
that  he  "was  admonished  a  second  time  for  his  ob- 
stinate persistency  in  his  vicious  courses."  Sep- 
tember 29,  1717,  he  *'was  excommunicated  for  pro- 
faneness  and  excess  in  drinking,  being  obstinate  in 
his  continuance  therein."  A  vote  relating  to  ques- 
tions of  discipline  was  taken  by  the  church,  which 
serves  to  throw  some  light  upon  the  practices  of  the 
times.  "At  a  church  meeting  at  Deacon  Thomas 
Fosdyke's,  Nov.  2,  1737,  and  afterwards  at  another 
meeting  at  Capt.  Thos.  Prentis's,  Dec.  7,  1737,  it 
was  unanimously  agreed  yt  for  the  future  wn  confes- 
sions are  required  of  scandalous  offenders,  they 
shall  be  taken  only  before  the  church,  only  that  it  is 
fit  yt  information  be  afterwards  given  to  ye  Congre- 
gation yt  such  offenders  have  given  satisfaction  to 
ye  church."  This  vote  seems  to  point  to  the  cus- 
tom previous  to  this  date,  of  requiring  such  con- 
fessions to  be  made  in  public,  before  the  congrega- 
tion. No  reason  is  given  for  the  change  to  the 
more  private  method  of  hearing  them.  It  can  not 
be  far  wrong  to  suppose  that  it  was  made  in  the  in- 


38        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

terests  of  giving  less  publicity  to  offensive  delin- 
quencies. 

Mr.  Adams'  connection  with  work  among  the  In- 
dians was  one  of  the  interesting  features  of  his  long 
ministry  here.  Mr.  Blinman,  it  will  be  remembered, 
was  accustomed  to  preach  to  the  Indians  in  his  par- 
ish. In  the  next  century  Mr.  Adams  engaged  in 
the  same  work,  but  to  a  greater  extent.  We  have 
already  seen  how  the  Uncases  regarded  and  spoke 
of  him  as  their  pastor.  His  relation  to  work  among 
the  aborigines  went  farther  than  this.  Rev.  Dr. 
Love  says :  "Rev.  Eliphalet  Adams  was  the  father 
of  all  the  Indian  Missionary  work  done  in  his  neigh- 
borhood. He  lectured  to  the  Indians  at  Mohegan 
as  early  as  1729,  and  Nov.  29,  1729  had  a  grant  of 
£  17  IDS.  for  his  services  from  the  society  for  propa- 
gating the  gospel,  the  same  which  had  fostered  John 
Eliot's  work.  He  continued  to  lecture  at  Mohegan, 
and  was  the  adviser  of  the  society  in  all  it  did  there. 
This  was  how  he  came  to  win  the  Uncas  family. 
In  1730  he  took  the  young  Ben  Uncas,  third  of  the 
name  and  sixth  sachem,  into  his  family,  boarding 
him  and  tutoring  him  under  authority  of  the  above 
society.  In  173 1  he  was  urged  'to  put  him  upon 
Grammar  Learning,  as  soon  as  he  shall  be  ready,' 
and  this  was  in  order  to  qualify  him  to  be  a  preacher, 
which  was  his  own  wish  and  that  of  his  father,  then 
sachem.  In  1739  this  Indian  youth  became  the 
schoolmaster  at  Mohegan,  for  which  he  received 
£40  a  year.  Mr.  Adams  said  of  him,  *he  acquitted 
himself  well.'     He   taught   there   several   years   at 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  39 

least  and  more  or  less  until  he  became  the  sachem. 
He  was  made  sachem  in  1749,  and  died  in  May, 
1769.  His  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev. 
David  Jewett,  and  a  committee  appointed  by  the 
legislature  attended,  William  Hillhouse,  Gurdon 
Saltonstall  and  Pygan  Adams.  [Bostonian,  March, 
1895,  P674.]" 

Mr.  Adams  was  responsible  for  the  opening  of  the 
Indian  Schools  at  Lyme  among  the  Niantics  and  at 
Groton  among  the  Pequots.  His  son,  William 
Adams,  says  Dr.  Love,  "preached  at  Groton  for  a 
time  among  the  Indians  about  1735,  and  later  a  man 
named  Morgan,  also,  I  think,  a  member  of  your 
church,  taught  school  there."  If  Dr.  Love's  con- 
jecture is  right,  this  was  John  Morgan  who  joined 
in  1736. 

Mr.  Adams  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  In- 
dian language  before  he  came  to  New  London. 
This  gave  him  great  advantage  in  his  intercourse 
with  the  Mohegans.  As  early  as  1725  he  laid  before 
them  a  proposition  to  establish  among  them 
schools,  and  to  instruct  them  in  the  principles  of  the 
Christian  religion.  This  offer  they  treated  with  dis- 
dain. Later,  however,  the  schools  were  established, 
and  this  opened  the  way  for  the  entrance  of  relig- 
ious influences  to  such  extent  that  their  heathen- 
ish practices  were  considerably  modified.  Mr. 
Adams  performed  ministerial,  or  pastoral,  services 
among  them  with  considerable  regularity  until  1746, 
when  Rev.  David  Jewett  of  the  North  Parish  suc- 
ceeded him.     In  his  note  book  for  1738  he  jotted 


40        LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

down  the  following  memoranda  which  give  a  hint 
of  the  work  which  he  did  among  the  Indians  : 

April  6.     Preached  at  Mohagin  to  30  Indians. 

April  25.     At  Niantick:  20  Inds. 

May  9.     At  Pequot :  present  above  20  Inds. 

May  22..  At  Niantick.  Only  gave  a  few  random 
exhortations,  as  most  of  the  Indians  were  gone  to 
a  dance  at  Mohagin,  and  then  to  wait  on  the 
Court  of  Commissioners  at  Norwich  wdiich  were  to 
sit  next  day. 

June  6.  At  Pequot.  The  Indians  had  been 
above  a  fortnight  attending  the  Commission  Court 
at  Norwich :  the  court  was  over,  and  they  had  re- 
turned home. 

June  30.     At  Niantick. — Indians  returned. 

July  18.     At  Pequot. 

Aug.  15.  At  Niantic.  No  Indians  at  home; 
heard  the  scholars  read,  etc. 

Sept.  17.     At  Mohagin  : — Above  30  Inds.  present. 

Oct.  6.     At  Mohagin. — About  20. 

Samson  Occum  writes  in  a  manuscript  biography, 
that  "once  a  fortnight  in  ye  Summer  Season  a  Min- 
ister from  New  London,  [Rev  Eliphalet  Adams,] 
used  to  come  up  and  the  Indians  to  attend ;  not  that 
they  regarded  the  Christian  Religion,  but  they  had 
Blankets  given  to  them  every  Fall  of  the  year,  and 
for  these  things  they  would  attend.  And  there  was 
a  Sort  of  school  kept  when  I  was  quite  young,  but  I 
believe  there  never  was  one  that  ever  Learnt  to  read 
anything."     Evidently  little  impression  was  made 


ADAMS ^   MINISTRY.  41 

upon  Occum  at  the  time,  but  seed  was  sown  which 
bore  fruit,  a  few  years  later,  in  his  conversion. 

Mr.  Adams'  work  among  the  Indians  near  New 
London  grew  out  of  an  early  interest.  In  1698,  be- 
fore he  went  to  be  assistant  to  Dr.  Colman,  he  had 
been  employed  by  a  society  of  gentlemen  in  Boston 
to  labor  among  them.  He  records  in  his  diary : 
"1698,  July  12,  I  was  put  in  to  be  an  Indian  preacher 
by  the  Gentlemen  who  have  the  oversight  of  yt 
work."  A  year  later  he  wrote:  ''1699,  May,  I 
preached  my  first  sermon  to  the  Indians  in  their 
own  language,  with  fears  lest  I  should  be  a  Barbar- 
ian unto  them,  but  yy  told  me  yy  understood  it  well, 
and  accepted  it  thankfully."  This  early  interest  did 
not  flag  during  his  long  ministry  in  New  London. 
In  1742  the  legislature,  upon  his  representation,  vo- 
ted a  sum  of  money  out  of  the  public  treasury,  to  be 
put  into  the  hands  of  Joshua  Huntington  of  Nor- 
wich, to  be  used  in  repairing  the  Indian  School  at 
Mohegan,  so  great  was  their  confidence  in  his  judg- 
ment. And  the  Indians  themselves  came  to  regard 
him  as  a  father. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams  two  other 
churches  of  the  Congregational  order  were  organ- 
ized, the  one  in  1722  in  the  North  Parish,  now 
Montville,  the  other  in  1724  in  East  Lyme.  After 
a  long  and  disquieting  controversy  over  title  to 
lands  within  what  was  known  as  the  North  Parish, 
tranquility  was  restored  to  the  community.  Gov- 
ernor Saltonstall  gave  himself  with  all  his  energy 
to  the  accommodation  of  the  difificulites,  and  the  ul- 


42        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

timate  organization  of  a  church,  and  settlement  of 
a  minister.  Permission  was  granted  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  new  parish  by  the  General  Court,  in 
1714,  to  be  constituted  into  a  church  as  soon  as  they 
should  secure  a  settled  orthodox  minister.  For 
some  reason  eight  years  elapsed  before  the  condi- 
tions were  fulfilled,  and  the  church  was  organized. 
In  the  matter  of  securing  a  pastor  the  good  offices 
of  Governor  Saltonstall  were  solicited  and  obtained. 
He  recommended  to  them  Mr.  James  Hillhouse 
from  Ireland,  who  was  then  in  Boston.  To  him 
they  applied  through  the  agency  of  the  Governor, 
ofYering  him  a  salary  of  £100  a  year.  His  entry 
on  the  records  of  the  church  says:  'T  received  my 
call  at  Boston  dated  February  5,  172 1-2.  I  was  in- 
stalled by  Rev.  Mr.  Adams  of  New  London,  Mr. 
Buckley  of  Colchester,  Mr.  Woodbridge  of  Grot- 
on  in  October,  the  third  day,  1722.  Mr.  Adams 
preached  from  Acts  16:9."  This  was  the  date  of 
the  organization  of  the  church.  It  consisted  of  only 
seven  males.  Mr.  Hillhouse's  record  reads  :  "There 
were  Seven  that  belonged  to  the  church  at  my  in- 
stallment— Capt.  [Thomas]  Avery,  Capt.  [Robert] 
Denison,  Mr.  Nathl.  Otis,  Mr.  [Samuel]  Allen,  Mr. 
[John]  Vibber,  Charles  Campbell  and  one  deacon. 
Mr.  Jonathan  Copp  was  chosen  deacon  of  this 
Church  and  accepted  it  Nov.  19,  1722."  Samuel 
Allen  and  Charles  Campbell  became  members  of 
the  First  Church  in  1719,  Nathaniel  Otis  and  John 
Vibber  in  1720.  Thomas  Avery  was  probably  the 
son  of  Edward  Avery,  who,  with  his  wife,  joined 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  43 

the  First  Church  in  1702.  Thomas  was  baptized 
by  Mr.  Saltonstall,  August  16,  1702,  so  that  he  was 
a  baptized  child  of  this  church.  Then  five  of  the 
original  seven  men,  who  constituted  the  North  Par- 
ish, or  Montville  Church,  were  from  this,  the  moth- 
er church.  If  the  wives  of  these  men  joined  with 
them,  or  at  a  subsequent  date,  the  names  of  Mrs. 
Allen,  Mrs.  Campbell,  Mrs.  Otis  and  Mrs.  Vibber 
should  be  added  to  those  whom  this  church  fur- 
nished to  constitute  the  membership  of  the  new 
church,  for  they  had  been  received  into  the  com- 
munion of  the  First  Church  at  the  same  time  with 
their  husbands.  Besides  these,  there  were  others, 
prominent  in  the  new  movement,  who  were  directly 
descended  from  members  of  the  mother  church ;  as 
for  example,  Joshua  Raymond,  grandson  of  Joshua 
and  Elizabeth  Raymond,  the  latter  of  whom  joined 
this  church  in  1678.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Chris- 
tophers, whom  Mr.  Adams  received  into  the  church 
in  1711.  So  that  the  roots  of  the  Montville  church 
are  to  be  found  in  this  church.  Then  it  is  more 
than  a  figure  of  speech  to  call  it  the  third  daughter 
of  the  First  Church  of  Christ.  On  the  occasion  of 
the  one  hundred  and  seventy-fifth  anniversary,  May 
23,  1897,  the  mother  church  sent  Deacon  Jesse  H, 
Wilcox  and  Deacon  William  Belcher  to  carry  her 
greetings  to  the  daughter. 

Mr.  Hillhouse  continued  in  the  North  Parish  fif- 
teen years,  during  which  time  one  hundred  and 
twenty-three  were  received  into  the  church  there ; 
fifty-one  of  them  during  the  first  year.     He  was 


44        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

succeeded  by  Rev.  David  Jewett.  He  had  been  a 
missionary  among  the  Mohegans,  and  was  much  in 
favor  with  them  and  their  chief.  He  accepted  the 
call  and  was  ordained  October  3,  1739.  A  dance 
and  a  supper  crowned  the  occasion.  It  was  known 
as  the  ordination  ball,  and  was  an  adjunct  of  the 
ceremonies  attending  the  induction  of  a  minister 
into  office,  quite  unknown  in  these  later  days,  at 
least  among  churches  of  the  Congregational  order. 

The  question  of  a  boundary  between  the  first  and 
the  second  parishes  came  to  be  a  perplexing  one, 
insomuch  that  it  was  referred  to  the  legislature  for 
settlement.  The  following  is  quoted  from  the  do- 
ings of  the  General  Assembly,  for  May,  1730. 
''Upon  the  memorial  of  the  second  parish  in  the 
town  of  New  London,  shewing  that  they  are  under 
many  difficulties  by  reason  of  the  crookedness  of 
the  line  dividing  between  them  and  the  first  society : 
Resolved  that  for  the  future  the  line  shall  be  as  fol- 
loweth :  (viz.)  Beginning  on  the  south  side  of  Mr. 
Condell's  farm  and  from  thence  an  East  and  West 
line  throughout  shall  divide  between  the  parishes 
aforesaid."  Henceforth  all  who  lived  north  of  that 
line  would  pay  their  minister's  rates  to  the  second 
parish.  Such,  in  outline, , is  the  story  of  one  of  the 
conspicuous  events  of  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams. 

The  next  event  of  a  similar  character  was  the 
formation  of  a  Congregational  Church  at  East 
Lyme.  A  Congregational  parish,  known  as  "The 
Second  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  Lyme,"  had  been 
formed  by  the  people  who  lived  in  the  eastern  por- 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  45 

tion  of  the  township  of  Lyme.  At  the  May  session 
of  the  legislature,  1724,  permission  was  granted  to 
them  "to  embody  themselves  in  church  order,  and 
settle  an  orthodox  minister."  It  was  voted  that 
''Mr.  George  Griswold  should  be  a  minister  for  the 
society  to  preach  ye  gospel."  He  belonged  to  one 
of  the  leading,  most  wealthy  and  aristocratic  fami- 
lies. He  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1717,  in 
the  first  class  that  left  that  institution  after  it  was 
established  at  New  Haven.  Until  1767  the  names 
of  the  members  of  each  class  were  arranged,  not 
alphabetically,  but  in  the  order  of  the  social  rank 
of  their  families.  In  the  class  of  1717  the  name  of 
George  Griswold  stands  first.  This  indicates  the 
social  rank  which  his  family  was  supposed  to  have 
in  the  colony.  He  was  a  man  of  great  piety  and 
learning,  and,  was  prominent  in  the  revivals  which 
visited  and  blessed  the  churches.  He  was  or- 
dained and  the  church  constituted  in  1724.  The 
famous  Samson  Occum  united  with  it,  as  one 
of  the  fruits  of  the  Great  Awakening.  William 
Miner,  who  was  one  of  those  who  were  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  organization  of  the  Church 
in  East  Lyme,  and  was  one  of  the  first  moderators 
of  the  society,  was  a  son  of  Dea.  Clement  Miner  of 
this  church,  and  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Bradstreet, 
April  30,  1671.  He  was  a  link  between  this  church 
and  that  in  East  Lyme.  The  subsequent  relations 
between  the  two  churches,  while  Mr.  Adams  and 
Mr.  Griswold  were  living  side  by  side  in  the  active 
ministry,  were  of  the  most  cordial  nature,  and  their 


46        LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

cooperation  in  the  labors  of  the  Great  Awakening, 
constituted  another  bond  between  them.  So  that 
while  the  East  Lyme  Church  is  a  daughter  of  that 
at  Old  Lyme,  yet  its  organization  was  one  of  the 
important  ecclesiastical  events  which  took  place  in 
this  immediate  vicinity,  during  the  pastorate  of  Mr. 
Adams. 

That  the  formation  of  the  new  church,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Niantic  River,  drew  from  this,  so 
that  the  First  Church  contributed  somewhat  to  the 
life  of  the  new  enterprise,  appears  from  the  follow- 
ing action  of  the  Colonial  Assembly  at  its  May  ses- 
sion in  1726,  two  years  after  the  formation  of  the 
East  Lyme  Church.  ''Upon  the  petition  of  the  East 
Society  in  Lyme  :  This  Assembly  doth  hereby  annex 
all  the  inhabitants  and  rateable  estate  that  lyes  in 
New  London  bounds  on  the  West  side  of  the  Nihan- 
tic  River,  so  far  northward  as  the  country  road  and 
bounded  with  the  great  brook,  to  pay  all  their  min- 
isterial dues  to  said  society,  in  equal  proportion  with 
the  other  inhabitants."  It  will  be  recollected  that 
Winthrop  originally  laid  claim  to  all  the  territory 
west  of  the  Niantic  River,  as  far  as  Bride  Brook. 
This  boundary  was  afterwards  contested  by  Say- 
brook,  which  claimed  that  it  should  be  a  mile  far- 
ther to  the  eastward.  The  controversy  waxed  hot 
and  bitter,  for  both 'parties  had  made  large  grants 
of  land  on  the  disputed  territory.  The  contention 
was  finally  settled  by  the  legislature,  in  1671-2,  so 
that  a  considerable  part  of  what  is  now  East  Lyme, 
on  the  west  side  of  Niantic  River,  came  within  the 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  47 

jurisdiction  of  New  London,  and  so  remained  till  it 
was  annexed  to  that  society  in  1726.  So  that  if  the 
First  Church  did  not  contribute  to  the  membership 
of  the  church  in  East  Lyme,  as  is  probably  the  case, 
it  did  furnish  one  of  the  first  moderators  of  the  new 
society,  in  the  person  of  William  Miner,  and  it  con- 
tributed of  its  tax-payers  towards  its  material  sup- 
port. 

Yet  another  event,  more  directly  affecting  the  life 
of  this  church,  was  the  rise  of  different  religious  per- 
suasions in  New  London,  thus  breaking  in  upon  the 
established  ecclesiastical  order  which  had  hitherto 
been  unbroken,  with  the  sole  exception  of  the  Rog- 
erene  defection.  The  advent  of  different  religious 
orders  was  an  important  epoch  in  the  history  of  this 
town,  and  proved  to  be  a  radical,  and,  it  must  be 
admitted,  beneficial  innovation  upon  the  prevailing 
religious  conditions,  for  after  churches  of  other  per- 
suasions than  the  Congregational  were  established, 
it  was  no  longer  practicable  to  lay  a  tax  on  the  town 
for  the  support  of  the  minister  of  the  Congregation- 
al Church,  nor  to  transact  the  business  of  the  church 
in  town  meeting.  The  First  Ecclesiastical  Society 
of  New  London  was  therefore  formed.  The  town 
ceased  to  be  the  parish.  The  business  of  the  church 
ceased  to  be  an  item  in  the  warrant  calling  a  meet- 
ing of  the  town.  The  date  of  the  organization  of 
this  society,  Joshua  Hempstead  tells  us  in  his  diary, 
was  January  23,  1726-7.  Under  this  date  he  wrote  : 
''A  society  meeting,  the  first  that  was  ever  held  in 
the  First  Society,  Capt.  C.  Christophers  was  cho- 


48        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

sen  the  first  committee  man  and  moderator ;  Justice 
Prentis  and  myself  the  other  two ;  John  Richards 
clerk."  At  this  first  meeting  of  the  society  it  was 
voted,  in  view  of  "the  different  persuasions  that  had 
arisen  in  town,"  and  in  view  of  the  manifest  diffi- 
culty and  injustice  of  collecting  parish  rates  to  pay 
the  salary  of  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  from  persons  of  different  persuasions,  to 
raise  the  necessary  sum  hereafter  "by  free  contribu- 
tions if  possible."  From  this  date  the  town  ceases 
to  appear  as  a  factor  in  ecclesiastical  affairs.  Rates 
were  afterwards  laid  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  par- 
ish, but  not  of  the  town.  The  town  no  longer  ap- 
peared at  the  ordination  of  ministers  to  signify 
through  its  agent  its  acceptance  of  their  ministry. 
It  ceased  to  have  a  voice  in  calling  pastors,  in  fixing 
their  salaries,  or  in  dictating  in  any  way  as  to  the 
afifairs  of  the  church.  So,  as  has  been  observed, 
Mr.  Adams  was  the  last  minister  settled  by  the  town. 
For  more  than  one  hundred  and  seventy  years  the 
First  Ecclesiastical  Society  has  transacted  the  bus- 
iness of  the  First  Church. 

The  immediate  occasion  of  the  organization  of 
this  society  was  the  founding  and  constitution  of  an 
Episcopal  Church,  followed  soon  after  by  the  or- 
ganization of  a  Baptist  Church.  "Among  the  first 
settlers  of  New  London,"  says  Dr.  Robert  A.  Hal- 
lam,  "no  trace  is  to  be  found  of  attachment  to  the 
Church  of  England."  Certainly  it  had  no  adherents 
among  those  who  followed  Richard  Blinman  from 
Gloucester.     Puritan    Congregationalism    had    the 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  49 

right  of  way.  There  are  no  evidences  of  the  pres- 
ence of  any  in  New  London  who  were  members  of 
the  Church  of  England  till  April  17,  1723,  when  a 
child  of  William  and  Mary  Norton  was  baptized  by 
a  Mr.  Pigot,  who  was  a  missionary  of  the  Propaga- 
tion Society  in  Stratford.  [Hallam's  St.  James's 
New  London,  p  9.]  The  next  year  an  infant  son, 
Lauzerne,  of  Richard  and  Elizabeth  Wilson  was 
Episcopally  baptized  at  New  London  by  one  Mr, 
Talbot,  October  15,  1724,  and  an  infant  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norton  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Johnson,  October  25,  1724.  These  are  the  earl- 
iest signs  of  the  presence  here  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  However,  an  earlier  event  occurred,  [ibid 
p  10]  which  is  at  least  an  interesting  fact  in  the  ec- 
clesiastical history  of  the  town.  Rev.  George  Keith, 
originally  a  Quaker,  who  had  taken  orders  in  the 
Church  of  England,  visited  New  London,  together 
with  Rev.  John  Talbot.  He  wrote  in  his  journal, 
"September  10,  1702. — The  next  day  we  safely  ar- 
rived at  New  London,  in  Connecticut  Colony  and 
Government,  which  stands  by  a  navigable  river. 
September  13,  Sunday. — Mr.  Talbot  preached  there 
in  the  forenoon,  and  I  preached  in  the  afternoon, 
we  being  desired  to  do  so  by  the  minister,  Mr.  Gur- 
don  Saltonstall,  who  civilly  entertained  us  at  his 
house,  and  expressed  his  good  affections  to  the 
Church  of  England.  My  text  was  Rom.  8 :  9.  The 
auditory  was  large  and  well  affected.  Colonel 
Winthrop,  Governor  of  the  Colony,  after  forenoon 
services,  invited  us  to  dinner  at  his  house  and  kindly 


50        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

entertained  us,  both  then  and  the  next  day."  These 
were  the  first  two  Episcopal  sermons  ever  preached 
in  New  London,  and  they  were  preached  in  a  Con- 
gregational pulpit  by  the  courtesy  of  a  Congrega- 
tional pastor.  It  was  twenty-three  years  before  suc- 
cessful steps  were  taken  toward  the  organization  of 
an  Episcopal  Church. 

How  the  materials  were  gathered,  out  of  which 
the  new  church  was  organized,  cannot  be  definitely 
determined.  Miss  Caulkins  says,  [Mass.  Hist.  Soc. 
Coll.  Vol.  I.  Fourth  series,  p  37]  that  "the  Episcopal 
society  arose  directly  out  of  his  (Mr.  Adams')  con- 
gregation." While  it  is  true  that  there  may  have 
been  some  who  left  the  congregation  of  the  First 
Church,  none  left  its  membership  to  join  in  the  new 
enterprise.  Miss  Caulkins  says  that  Samuel  Edge- 
combe was  an  original  founder  of  Saint  James.  If 
this  is  correct,  this  might  be  called  a  contribution  of 
this  church  to  Saint  James,  for  his  mother  was  a 
member  of  the  First  Church  and  he  was  baptized 
by  Mr.  Saltonstall,  January  24,  1691.  But  there 
are  few,  if  any,  more  cases  of  this  sort.  It  seems 
certain,  as  both  Dr.  Hallam  and  Mr.  Seabury  say, 
that  the  founders  of  Saint  James  were  men  who 
had  no  sympathy  with  the  Puritanism  which  pre- 
vailed in  New  England.  None  of  them,  says  Dr. 
Hallam,  were  of  the  company  of  Winthrop  or  Blin- 
man.  [Annals,  p  12.]  They  were  mostly,  if  not 
entirely.  Englishmen,  who  were  attracted  hither  by 
promising  facilities  for  trade.  Dr.  Hallam  says : 
"the  first  founders  of  the  parish,  (St.  James),  then, 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  51 

were   English,   not   of  the   Puritan   stock."     *'The 
church  was  rather  the  offspring  of  the  early  com- 
mercial importance  and  promise  of  the  settlement." 
Mr.  Seabury  wrote  in  1742,  May  3,  that  "the  first 
members  of  the  Church  of  England  who  founded 
Saint  James,  were  either  Europeans,  not  long  set- 
tled here,  or  persons  brought  up  in  other  colonies." 
Rev.  Mr.  Johnson,  a  recent  convert  from  Con- 
gregationalism, wrote  that  he  preached  here  June 
II,  1724,  to  an  audience  of  sixty,  where,  he  added, 
"there  is  a  good  prospect  of  increase  if  they  had 
a  minister."     August  14  of  the  next  year  he  wrote 
that  the  people  in  New  London  were  to  "build  with 
all  expedition,"  for  which  a  considerable  sum  had 
been   subscribed.     The   earliest   paper   among  the 
records  of  Saint  James's  Parish  is  datedjune  6,  1725, 
and  is  a  subscription  toward  the  erection  of  a  house 
for  the  worship  of  God  "according  to  the  Liturgie 
of  the  Church  of  England  as  by  Law  Established." 
On  this  paper  were  subscriptions  ranging  from  £3 
to   £50.     For  some  reason  the  project  was  post- 
poned, till  September  27,  1725,  when  a  second,  more 
effective  paper  was  drawn  up  and  acted  on.     So 
that  this  is  considered  the  natal  day  of  Saint  James's 
Church.     [Annals,  p  17.]      The  first  house  of  wor- 
ship stood  on  what  is  now  called  the  Parade.     It 
was  built  by  John  Hough,  and  stood  facing  the 
west.     It  was  50  feet  in  length,  by  ;^2  feet  in  width. 
It  was  enclosed,  the  under  floor  laid,  and  a  neat  desk 
and   pulpit   finished    November   28,    1727.     It   re- 
mained in  this  condition  for  several  years,  and  was 


52        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

completed  and  opened  for  worship  in  the  autumn 
of  1732. 

None  of  the  founders  of  Saint  James  were  ever 
Puritans,  or  indined  to  Puritanism,  so  says  Dr.  Hal- 
lam,  but  the  first  rector  had  a  good  deal  of  Pilgrim 
blood  in  his  veins,  and  Dr.  Hallam  was  of  strictly 
Puritan  lineage.  John  Seabury  came  to  Groton 
about  1700.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Alden.  She 
was  the  granddaughter  of  John  Alden  of  the  May- 
flower. John  Seabury  became  deacon  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  when  one  was  formed  in  Groton 
in  1704-5.  Deacon  Seabury 's  son,  Samuel,  was 
born  July  8,  1706.  He  studied  for  the  ministry, 
and  in  1726  preached  as  stated  supply  for  the  Con- 
gregational Church  in  North  Groton,  now  Ledyard. 
In  1 73 1  he  renounced  Congregationalism,  went  to 
England,  w^here  he  was  ordained  by  the  bishop  of 
London,  and  returned  to  America  with  a  commis- 
sion from  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel,  bearing  date  of  May  1732.  He  was  ap- 
pointed its  missionary  in  New  London.  His  son 
was  born  November  30,  1729,  while  he  was  yet  a 
Congregational  clergyman.  This  son  became 
Bishop  Seabury.  So  that  Pilgrim  and  Puritan 
blood  has  run  in  the  veins  of  some  of  the  foremost 
promoters  of  Saint  James,  if  not  in  the  veins  of  its 
founders.  Such  in  brief,  is  an  outline  of  that  im- 
portant religious  movement,  during  the  pastorate 
of  Mr.  Adams,  which  resulted  in  the  permanent  es- 
tablishment of  another  religious  body  to  share  the 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  53 

field  which  the  First  Church  had  occupied  alone  for 
three  quarters  of  a  century. 

The  next  important  movement  of  this  sort,  and 
following  quickly  upon  it,  was  the  settlement  of 
the  first  pastor  of  the  first  regular  Baptist  Church 
in  New  London.  There  were  baptisms  in  New 
London  after  the  method  of  the  Baptists  as  early 
as  1674.  They  were  confined  to  that  portion  which 
is  now  called  Waterford.  The  people  of  this  per- 
suasion held  meetings  as  early  as  1704.  In  that 
year  they  presented  a  petition  to  the  Colonial  Legis- 
lature for  "the  settlement  of  their  meeting."  They 
called  themselves  "dissenters"  from  the  established 
order.  They  represented  that  they  had  a  teacher^ 
one  Daniel  Pierce,  and  that  they  met  at  the  house 
of  William  Stark  for  worship.  Backus  says  that 
they  were  organized  into  a  distinct  church  in  1710, 
and  that  this  was  the  second  Baptist  Church  in  Con- 
necticut. After  1720  they  grew  in  numbers  and  in- 
fluence. A  number  of  prominent  people  joined 
their  ranks.  Stephen  Gorton  of  Rhode  Island  was 
ordained  as  their  first  pastor  November  28,  1726, 
by  Rev.  Valentine  Wightman  of  Groton.  He  was 
respected  at  home  and  abroad  for  his  talents  as  a 
speaker.  His  ministry  was  successful  and  greatly 
promoted  the  growth  of  Baptist  sentiments  in  the 
neighboring  towns. 

These  people  joined  with  the  seventh-day  Bap- 
tists in  erecting  a  house  of  worship.  The  site  was 
given  by  Isaac  Fox ;  the  deed  was  dated  January 
9,  1729-30.     The  title  was  vested  in  the  two  societies 


54        LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

known  as  "First  and  Seventh  Day  Baptists."  It 
stood  on  the  rocky  summit  of  Fort  Hill.  The  pe- 
culiar shape  of  the  house  of  worship  obtained  for  it 
the  name  of  pepper-hox.  It  stood  till  it  was  taken 
down  in  1847.  The  new  society  had  a  somewhat 
checkered  existence.  Its  members  were  scattered 
over  a  wide  area.  Nehemiah  Smith  of  East  Lyme 
and  Jonathan  Rathbone  of  Colchester  were  mem- 
bers of  it.  In  1 73 1  several  persons  who  lived  in 
Wallingford,  thirteen  miles  north  of  New  Haven, 
joined  its  communion. 

Later  on  serious  accusations  were  made  against 
Mr.  Gorton.  He  was  tried  before  a  Baptist  con- 
vention in  Rhode  Island.  The  charges  were  not 
proved,  but  the  convention  advised  his  dismission. 
He  refused  to  be  dismissed.  His  church  was  di- 
vided. The  majority  believing  in  his  innocence  ad- 
hered to  the  pastor.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a 
struggle  which  ended  in  the  extinction  of  the  church 
about  1774.  The  members  were  dispersed  and 
joined  other  Baptist  churches.  None  of  those  con- 
cerned in  this  movement  seem  to  have  had  any  con- 
nection with  the  First  Church. 

But  in  1748  the  minority  of  Elder  Gorton's 
church  withdrew,  and  with  some  later  converts, 
formed  a  new  church  at  West  farms.  This  was 
claimed  to  be  the  reorganization  of  the  old  church, 
which  was  considered  out  of  fellowship ;  and  after 
Waterford  was  set  ofif  from  New  London  in  1801, 
it  took  the  name  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Wa- 
terford.    Nathan  Howard  was  an  original  member 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  55 

of  this  reorganized  church.  He  had  joined  Mr. 
Adams'  church  in  1741,  as  one  of  the  fruits  of  the 
Great  Awakening.  He  joined  the  Separates,  who 
seceded  from  the  First  Church.  Later  he,  with 
others,  joined  the  Baptists.  In  1752  "the  attention 
of  the  church  was  attracted  to  the  gift  of  Bro.  Na- 
than Howard,  one  of  the  constituent  members  of 
the  church,  who  seemed  designed  by  the  Lord  as 
their  future  pastor."  [Hist.  N.  L.  Bap.  Assn.  and 
its  Chs.  p.  16.]  He  was  called  to  ordination,  and 
became  the  first  pastor  of  the  reorganized  church. 
He  served  about  twenty-five  years.  He  died  of  the 
smallpox  March  2,  1777,  aged  fifty-six  years.  If 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Waterford  is  not  a  colony 
from  this  church,  its  first  pastor,  and  the  leading 
spirit  in  its  organization,  was  furnished  from  among 
the  members  of  Mr.  Adams'  flock. 

Another  company  of  Baptists  gathered,  not  long 
after,  near  the  town  plot  in  New  London,  with  one 
Noah  Hammond  as  elder.  Mr.  Hammond  was  also 
a  fruit  of  the  revival,  and  was  an  attendant  upon  the 
ministry  of  Mr.  Jewett.  This  church  was  not  able 
to  proceed.  The  members  at  length  coalesced  with 
the  church  of  Elder  Howard.  All  that  is  said  about 
the  persecution  of  these  Baptists  must  be  under- 
stood as  not  applying  to  Mr.  Adams  or  his  church, 
for  all  the  evidence  goes  to  show  that  he  was  not  a 
man  of  that  spirit. 

In  1724  Mr.  Adams  was  called  to  the  Presidency 
of  Yale  College,  made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of 
Rev.  Timothy  Cutler,  D.D.,  who,  in  1722,  had  re- 


56        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

nounced  the  communion  of  the  churches  of  the 
Congregational  order  in  Connecticut,  and  embraced 
Episcopacy.  Mr.  Adams  was  noted  as  a  Hebrew 
scholar,  and  his  attainments  were  of  so  superior  a 
character  that  he  was  widely  and  favorably  known, 
and  was  the  choice  of  the  trustees  of  the  college 
for  the  vacant  rectorship.  The  event  was  so  promi- 
nent in  the  life  of  Mr.  Adams,  and  reflected  so  great 
honor  upon  him,  and  the  church  of  which  he  was 
pastor,  that  more  than  a  passing  mention  of  it  may 
be  made. 

In  1720  Mr.  Adams  had  been  chosen  a  trustee  of 
the  college,  an  ofHce  which  he  held  till  September 
10,  1740.  In  it  he  exerted  a  very  great  influence 
upon  the  institution.  Dr.  Cutler,  who  was  pastor 
of  the  church  in  Stratford  from  1709  to  171 9,  was 
chosen,  March  24,  1719,  as  resident  rector,  or  pres- 
ident. He  was  acceptable  to  the  legislature  and 
to  the  clergy.  He  was  a  man  of  commanding  pres- 
ence. Dr.  Stiles  said  that  he  was  great  in  philos- 
ophy, metaphysics  and  ethics,  that  he  spoke  Latin 
with  great  fluency,  and  that  he  was  extensively  read 
in  the  academic  sciences,  divinity  and  ecclesiastical 
history.  [Eccl.  Hist.  Ct.  pp.  263-266.]  Under  his 
administration  the  college  seemed  to  be  prosperous, 
and  to  be  firmly  established  in  a  flourishing  and  a 
happy  state. 

But  this  peaceful  condition  of  afifairs  was  rudely 
disturbed  in  a  sudden  and  an  unexpected  way.  At 
the  commencement  in  1722  it  was  discovered  that 
the  rector,  and  one  of  the  tutors,  a  Mr.  Brown,  had 


ADAMS^    MINISTRY.  57 

embraced  Episcopacy.  After  duly  considering  the 
subject,  the  trustees,  at  a  meeting  held  October  17, 
1722,  while  the  General  Assembly  was  in  session  at 
New  Haven,  voted  as  follows :  "Voted,  That  the 
Trustees,  in  faithfulness  to  the  trust  reposed  in 
them,  do  excuse  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cutler  from  all  fur- 
ther services  as  rector  of  the  College.  That  the 
Trustees  accept  the  resignation  which  Mr.  Brown 
hath  made  as  tutor." 

It  was  also  further  voted  that  whoever  should 
thereafter  be  elected  to  the  ofifice  of  rector,  or  tu- 
tor in  the  college,  should  declare  before  the  trustees 
"assent  to  the  confession  of  faith,  owned  and 
assented  to  by  the  elders  and  messengers  of  the 
churches  in  this  colony  of  Connecticut,  assembled 
by  delegation  at  Saybrook,  September  9,  1708,  and 
confirmed  by  the  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  and 
shall  particularly  give  satisfaction  to  them  of  the 
soundness  of  their  faith  in  opposition  to  Arminian 
and  prelatical  corruptions,  and  any  of  dangerous 
consequence  to  the  purity  and  peace  of  our 
churches."  [Trumbull  Hist.  Conn.  Vol.  H  pp.  15- 
16.]  It  is  said  that  Governor  Saltonstall,  who  was 
in  a  sense  the  author  of  the  Saybrook  Platform, 
deemed  it  of  so  great  importance  that  the  public 
should  be  properly  informed  as  to  the  liberty  of  the 
churches,  that  he  came  forward  "amid  the  universal 
surprise,"  and  disputed  openly  with  Rector  Cutler 
the  claims  of  prelatical  supremacy.  Of  course 
the  party  of  the  prevailing  order  considered  that  the 
Governor  had  the  best  of  the  argument.     Dr.  Hal- 


58  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

lam  says  that  Governor  Saltonstall  ''presided  in  the 
conference  and  debate  on  Episcopacy  at  Yale  Col- 
lege, on  the  occasion  of  the  defection  of  Rector  Cut- 
ler and  Dr.  Johnson ;  an  event  which  filled  the  Con- 
gregationalists  with  astonishment  and  dismay." 
[Annals  p.  ii.]  President  Woolsey  says:  "I  sup- 
pose that  greater  alarm  would  scarcely  be  awakened 
now  if  the  theological  faculty  of  the  College  were 
to  declare  for  the  Church  of  Rome,  avow  their  belief 
in  transubstantiation,  and  pray  to  the  Virgin." 
Quincy  in  his  History  of  Harvard  College,  says  of 
this  event,  that  it  "shook  Congregationalism 
throughout  New  England,  like  an  earthquake,  and 
filled  all  its  friends  with  terror  and  apprehension." 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  the  case,  es- 
pecially in  Connecticut.  Not  only  had  Dr.  Cutler 
and  Tutor  Brown  renounced  Congregationalism, 
but  also  Dr.  Johnson  of  West  Haven,  James  Wet- 
more  of  North  Haven,  and  not  many  years  after 
Seabury  and  Punderson  of  North  Groton,  Jona- 
than Arnold  of  West  Haven,  and  others  followed 
their  example.  Besides  all  this  a  systematic  effort 
was  made  by  the  managers  of  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  not  only  to  proselyte 
Congregationalists,  but  to  plant  churches  in  fields 
already  amply  supplied  with  the  ordinances  of  the 
Gospel.  All  this  was  viewed  with  somewhat  of  ap- 
prehension. Dr.  Dunning  [Congregationalists  in 
America,  p.  231]  says  that  ''the  alarm  was  mcreased 
by  the  belief  that  other  prominent  clergymen  had 
joined  in  a  scheme  to  go  over  to  Episcopacy  and 
take  the  people  of  Connecticut  with  them." 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  59 

Evidently  the  affairs  of  the  college  were  in  a  dis- 
turbed state.  A  man  of  unusual  ability  was  needed 
to  take  the  helm.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  the  pastor 
of  this  church  at  the  time  that  he  seemed  to  the 
trustees  to  be  the  right  man  for  the  office.  The 
reasons  for  Mr.  Adams'  declining  the  office  are  not 
given.  But  we  may  suppose  that  a  unanimous  vote 
of  the  town,  desiring  him  to  remain,  and  the  dis- 
turbed state  of  affairs  in  the  college  brought  him  to 
this  decision.  Prof.  Franklin  B.  Dexter,  in  Annals 
of  Yale  College  [p.  289]  says,  "at  the  next  meeting 
of  the  Trustees,  in  April,  [1724]  the  six  who  were 
present  (not  a  quorum  by  the  new  Act ;  but  a  clear 
majority  of  the  whole  number)  considered  them- 
selves competent  to  the  work  of  choosing  a  Rector. 
The  person  now  selected  was  the  latest  accession  to 
their  own  body,  Governor  Saltonstall's  successor 
in  the  New  London  pulpit,  the  Rev.  Eliphalet 
Adams."  Mr.  Joshua  Hempstead  records  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Adams  laid  his  election  before  a  full 
meeting  of  his  townsmen  and  parishioners.  ''Wed- 
nesday, April  15,  [1724]  a  Pubhc  or  General 
fast.  Mr.  Adams  pr  in  ye  foren  and  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  of  Har  [tford]  in  ye  aftern  who  is  come  here 
with  Mr.  Russel  of  Branfd  to  get  Mr.  Adams  to  go 
and  be  President  of  Yale  College.  Thursday,  16 
was  had  a  Sort  of  Town  Meeting  to  Consider  if  wee 
were  willing  to  part  with  Mr.  Adams  "^  "^  *  it  is 
Negatived."  And  so  Mr.  Adams  did  not  become 
President  of  Yale  College. 

Of  Mr.  Adams'  eminent  abilities  and  fitness  for 


60  LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

this  high  position  which  was  offered  him,  there  is 
other  incidental,  but  strong  testimony,  which  is  to 
be  found  in  Dr.  Hallam's  Annals,     [p.  35.]      Mat- 
thew Stewart,  an  Irish  gentleman  who  resided  in 
New  London  for  more  than  half  a  century,  and  was 
an  influential  member  of  St.  James  in  its  early  days, 
wrote  to  the  secretary  of  the  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel,  January  14,  1743,  concerning 
a  rector  for  Saint  James,  and  spoke  of  New  London 
as  "the  seat  of  his  Majesty's  custom  house,  and  so 
the  port  of  greatest  note  in  the  colony,  and,  in  many 
other  respects,  as  a  city  set  upon  a  hill  which  can 
not  be  hid,"  and  therefore  as  a  place  where  "a  man 
of  mean  and  ordinary  abilities"  ''would  bring  the 
church  into  contempt."     But  more  than  this  was 
another  fact,  calling  for  the  best  man  that  could  be 
had,   and   to  which   Mr.   Stewart   called   attention, 
namely,  the  independent  minister,  Eliphalet  Adams, 
had  "a  well  established  character,  and  is,  in  every 
respect,  the  most  superior  person  in  the  Colony." 
New  London  was  the  principal  port  of  the  Connec- 
ticut Colony  at  that  time,  so  that  we  must  under- 
stand Mr.  Stewart  to  say  that  Mr.  Adams  was  the 
most  superior  person  in  Connecticut,  in  1743.    This 
was  twenty  years  after  he  was  called  to  the  Presi- 
dency of  Yale  College.     But  we  have  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  in  his  earlier  years  he  did  not  give  the 
promise  wdiich  was  realized  in  the  rich  fruitage  of 
his  later  life.     He  was  a  man  of  fine  culture  and  of 
strong  mind. 

An  event  took  place  during  his  ministry  which,. 


ADAIUS'    MINISTRY.  61 

from  its  striking  nature,  was  a  conspicuous  land- 
mark in  it.  August  31,  1735,  the  old  Saltonstall 
meeting-house,  which  had  served  for  a  place  of 
public  worship  since  1698,  was  struck  by  a  terrific 
thunderbolt  and  almost  riven  asunder. 

Mr.  Hempstead,  who  was  present  and  witnessed 
the  scenes,  recorded  the  following  account :  "Sund. 
31,  fair  in  foren.  Mr.  Adams  pr.  at  noon  It  cloud- 
ed over  Thick  and  Raind  smartly  and  when  Mr. 
Adams  stood  up  and  began  prayer  a  Tereble  Clap 
of  Thunder  and  Lightning  came  Struck  meeting 
house  in  Divers  places,  and  struck  Divers  persons 
it  pleased  God  to  Spare  al  our  Lives.  But  Edwn 
Burch  a  young  man  newly  for  himself,  and  he  was 
struck  more  fattaly  and  Died.  Jno.  Prentis  in  their 
Pew  ye  n  Side  ye  E  Door.  Jno.  Plumbe  in  Peter 
Harris'  Pew  the  S  Side  West  Door.  Samll  Green 
Deacon's  Son  in  ^^^  "^  *  Pew  the  East  Side  next  the 
stairs,  and  Jer  Chapman  in  his  father's  Pew  W  Side 
ye  S  Door,  and  one  Burrel  a  stranger  in  the  Gal- 
lery by  ye  stairs  ye  E  side  were  struck  and  by  Weed- 
ed and  proper  means  they  Recovered.  Divers  oth- 
ers Mazed  and  Litely  hurt,  it  is  supposed  about  40 
Struck  Down."  The  event  was  improved  by  Mr. 
Adams  who  preached  a  sermon  with  reference  to  it 
the  following  Sabbath,  September  7.  Extracts 
from  the  sermon,  together  with  Mr.  Adams'  graphic 
description  of  the  scene  will  be  found  in  the  follow- 
ing chapter. 

The  house  of  worship  was  almost  a  total  wreck. 
It  was  repaired  for  temporary  use,  but  the  society 


62  LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

voted  to  build  a  new  edifice,  and  took  steps  to  that 
end.  The  proposed  house  was  to  be  larger  and 
more  pretentious  than  the  former,  but  an  obstacle 
was  met  at  the  start.  The  society  could  not  agree 
upon  a  site.  The  controversy  was  kept  up  with 
considerable  heat,  until  the  matter  was  finally  re- 
ferred to  the  legislature  for  adjustment  in  1739. 
The  following  quoted  from  the  Colonial  Records, 
refers  to  this  subject.  May  1739,  ''Upon  the  mem- 
orial of  the  first  society  in  New  London,  praying 
that  a  committee  may  be  appointed  to  affix  and  as- 
certain the  place  where  said  society  shall  build  their 
meeting  house :  This  Assembly  appoint  Samuel 
Lynde  Esqr,  of  Saybrook,  Mr.  John  Griswold 
of  Lyme,  and  Mr.  Christopher  Avery  2d  of  Groton 
a  committee  to  repair  to  said  society,  view  and 
consider  the  circumstances  thereof  and  hear  the 
parties,  and  affix  and  ascertain  the  place  where 
said  society  shall  build  their  meeting  house  for  di- 
vine worship  and  make  report  of  their  doings  to  this 
Assembly  in  their  sessions  in  October."  They  met 
July  4,  and  selected  the  spot.  October,  1739,  upon 
report  of  the  foregoing  committee  "that  the  most 
convenient  place  for  the  inhabitants  of  New  Lon- 
don to  build  their  new  meeting  house  for  divine 
worship  upon  is  near  the  South  East  corner  of  the 
green  where  the  meeting  house  now  stands,  where 
is  a  stake  set  up  which  is  to  be  enclosed  within  the 
ground  sills  within  two  feet  of  the  South  East  Cor- 
ner of  said  house,"  the  Assembly  passed  the  follow- 
ing vote,  "resolved  by  this  Assembly  that  the  said 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  63^ 

meeting  house  shall  be  built  and  erected  on  the 
place  aforesaid,  and  the  inhabitants  are  hereby  or- 
dered to  proceed  thereupon  accordingly."  The 
spot  thus  designated  was  not  far  from  the  old  meet- 
ing-house. The  decision  was  peremptory,  but 
seems  to  have  been  satisfactory.  But  the  Spanish 
and  French  war  soon  broke  out.  The  exposed  sit- 
uation of  the  town  rendered  it  unwise  to  build,  at 
that  time,  a  costly  edifice.  The  old  house  was 
therefore,  thoroughly  repaired  and  enlarged.  A 
new  bell  was  hung  in  the  renovated  belfry  in  1746. 
Thus  the  old  Saltonstall  meeting-house  continued 
to  serve  the  town  as  a  place  of  public  worship,  till 
1785 — a  period  of  fifty  years  after  the  thunderbolt 
almost  demolished  it. 

It  has  been  said  that  Mr.  Adams'  ministry  was 
in  the  main  peaceful.  However  some  disturbances 
broke  in  upon  its  quiet  tenor.  Miss  Caulkins  says 
that  his  ministry  was  cast  amid  exciting  scenes. 
The  disquieting  sounds  and  rumors  of  war  were  in 
the  air.  The  waves  of  religious  enthusiasm  rolled 
high  around  him.  Not  only  the  Separate  move- 
ment, but  also  "the  Rogerene  Quakers  gave  him 
much  disturbance."  However,  his  ministry  was 
disquieted  by  no  such  lawless  acts  of  these  people 
as  vexed  the  souls  of  his  immediate  predecessors. 
The  boisterous  character  of  some  of  the  people  of 
New  London,  in  those  early  days,  is  illustrated  by 
the  following  facts.  April  22,  1716,  John  Bolles 
and  his  wife  and  John  Culver  and  his  wife  dis- 
turbed the  congregation,   "whereof  the   Rev.   Mr. 


64  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Adams  is  minister  in  the  time  of  their  being  assem- 
bled for  divine  worship  on  the  Lord's  day,"  and 
''were  put  in   goal."     [Col.   Records,    1716-1725.] 
In  view  of  the  fact  that  they  did  not  know  that  they 
were  violating  the  law,  and  on  their  promise  of  fu- 
ture good  behavior,  the  Assembly,  at  its  May  ses- 
sion,   ordered   their   release.     It   is   probable   that 
these  were  Rogerenes,  for  the  Bolleses  were  of  that 
way  of  thinking.     If  so  this  is  the  only  recorded  in- 
stance in  which  they  had,  up  to  this  date,  disturbed 
the  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams.    And  this  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  a  very  heinous  offense,  for  it  was  easily 
condoned.     Mr.  Hempstead  records  two  other  in- 
stances which  may  point  to  a  minor  disturbance  of 
the  religious  quiet  of  the  town,  though  no  notice 
was  taken  of  either  case.     "April  23,  (1721),  Mr. 
ad  pr  al  day  a  Sacrament  day  Jno  Rogers  came  into 
ye  Meeting  House  and  preached  between  meetings, 
his  crew  with  him."     He  records  a  similar  proceed- 
ing on  the  following  Sabbath.     As  no  other  inci- 
dents of  this  kind  are  recorded  it  is  safe  to  assume 
that  such  disturbances  were  not  persisted  in.     In 
July,  1724,  a  complaint  was  made  to  the  Governor 
and  Council,  "that  divers  persons  in  New  London, 
instead  of  attending  upon  publick  worship  of  God 
on   the    Lord's    day,    frequent   publick    and    other 
houses,  and  spend  their  time  there  in  drinking  and 
in  a  prophane  manner."     In  view  of  the  complaint 
authority  was  given  to  the  constables  to  arrest  and 
imprison  all  such  disturbers  of  the  peace  and  quiet 
of  holy  time.     [Colonial  Records  for  1724.] 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  65 

May,  1726,  the  following  action  of  the  General 
Court  of  the  Colony  points  to  yet  another  case  of 
disturbance  of  public  worship  which  the  authorities 
took  in  hand  and  dealt  with.  ''Upon  the  petition 
of  Geoffry  Seter,  an  Indian  man,  informing  this 
Assembly  that  sometim.e  last  fall  he,  being  led  away 
by  other  evil  minded  persons,  did  go  into  New  Lon- 
don meeting-house,  in  the  time  of  divine  service,  up- 
on the  Sabbath,  and  did  then  and  there  make  dis- 
turbance, for  which  he  was  by  the  county  court, 
held  in  New  London  in  November  last,  sentenced 
to  pay  the  sum  of  20  pounds  to  the  treasury  of  this 
colony,  and  now  prayeth  this  Assembly  to  remit 
said  fine,  upon  the  consideration  of  said  petition,  he, 
said  Geoffery,  his  freely  confesing  himself  guilty 
in  said  Court,  and  his  acknowledging  his  fault  for 
his  so  doing;  and  desiring  to  be  humble  under  it, 
and  promising  to  walk  more  orderly  for  the  time  to 
come :  This  Assembly  do  freely  remit  said  fine." 
[Colonial  Records,  1726.] 

June  16,  1745,  Mr.  Hempstead  records  in  his  di- 
ary, "Mr.  Adams  pr  all  day.  Old  John  Rogers  and 
Bolles  and  Watrus  and  andrw  Davis  and  about  20 
more  of  their  Gang  Came  Down  into  Town  with  a 
Cart  and  oxen  and  were  taken  up  by  the  officers  and 
Committed  to  Prison,  also  4  women  of  their  Com- 
pany Came  to  ye  meetinghouse  and  began  to  preach 
and  were  taken  away  to  Prison  also."  Whether 
this  is  the  same  Bolles  who  was  arrested  for  a  like 
ofifence  in  1716  we  are  not  told.  These  are  exam- 
ples of  the  disturbances  with  which  Mr.  Adams  met 


66  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

in  his  pastorate.  But  they  were  far  less  violent 
than  those  which  had  broken  the  peace  of  the  earlier 
days.  They  affected  the  church  in  a  measure  exter- 
nally, but  did  not  directly  touch  its  inner  life.  But 
the  Separate  movement,  under  the  lead  of  James 
Davenport  and  Timothy  Allen,  which  was  an  un- 
fortunate reaction  from  the  revival  of  1740-41,  cre- 
ated serious  commotion  within  the  church  itself, 
which,  but  for  the  prudence  and  patient  wisdom  of 
Mr.  Adams,  must  have  been  rent  asunder.  The 
Great  Awakening,  out  of  which  the  Separate  move- 
ment grew,  was,  perhaps,  in  many  ways,  the  most 
important  religious  event  of  Mr.  Adams'  ministry. 
It  directly  touched  the  religious  life  of  the  church. 
Both  movements  were  vitally  related  to  each  other, 
and  a  discussion  of  them  is  reserved  for  a  future 
chapter. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Adams  occurred  the 
sudden  death  of  Governor  Saltonstall.  Mr.  Hemp- 
stead relates  that  he  "died  Suddenly  with  a  fitt  of 
Appoplexy  about  12  of  the  clock  being  as  well  as 
ever  ye  noon  before."  This  was  on  Sunday,  Sep- 
tember 20.  Two  days  later  his  funeral  was  attend- 
ed at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  in  a  manner  be- 
fitting his  rank  and  office.  The  supreme  court  ad- 
journed to  attend.  The  military  were  present,  and 
fired  volleys  at  the  grave.  "Twenty  cannon"  were 
fired  "at  half  a  minute's  distance."  The  loss  was 
felt,  and  his  memory  was  honored,  throughout  New 
England. 

The  sounds  of  war,  as  has  been  said,  often  dis- 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  67 

turbed  the  peace  of  the  town.     For  example,  Sun- 
day, May  25,  1712  "news  came  of  a  french  Brigg 
150  men  TarpoHan  Coave;  Posts  gone  to  ye  Govr 
att  Hartford  and  to  ye  Deputy  Govr.  att  fairfield 
and    watch    at    ye    Harbour's    mouth."     [Hemp- 
stead.]    We  can  imagine  the  rehef  felt  when,  two 
or  three  years  later  peace  between   England  and 
Spain  was  declared.     In   1744-5   the   General  As- 
sembly voted  to  raise  500  men  for  the  brilliant  but 
profitless  expedition  against   Cape  Breton.     They 
were  ordered  to  embark  at  New  London.     They 
began  to  gather  in  March.     April  7  Mr.  Adams 
preached  to  them  in  the  afternoon.     Mr.   Hemp- 
stead tells  us  that  the  troops  were  drawn  up  on  the 
meeting-house  green.  April  9,  the  same  authority 
records  in  his  diary,   "Tuesday  9  a  warm  morn- 
ing.    I  was     ^     *     ^     afternoon  to  See  the  Majr 
Genii  Woolcut's  Tent  on  ye  hill  between  Col.  Sal- 
tonstall's  wall  and  ye  burying  place  and  ye  Regi- 
ment  8   Companys   in   the   Trayning   field    drawn 
up  to  Close  order  and  ye  Comisions  published  near 
the  Courthouse  the  *  *  *  *  Maj.  Genii  with  Coll. 
Andrew  Burr  on  his  Right  and  Lt.  Coll.  Simon 
Lothrop   on  ye  left  marched   bareheaded   fro  the 
Tent  to  ye  place  near  ye  West  Door,"  where  the 
commissions    were    read.     The    troops    embarked 
April  13.     Wednesday,  April  24,  was  observed  as  a 
fast   throughout   New   England.     Mr.   Hempstead 
records,  "a  publick  fast  for  the  expedition.     Mr. 
Adams  pr  al   Day."     Then  followed  two  months 
of  anxious  suspense.     Sunday,  June  30,  two  trans- 


68  LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

ports  arrived  ''to  carry  away  our  200  soldiers  for 
Recruits  at  Cape  Breton."  [Hempstead.]  The 
next  Sabbath,  July  7,  the  news  was  brought  that 
the  city  of  Louisburg  had  been  taken  without  the 
loss  of  a  man.  These  tidings  offset  the  mournful 
news  of  defeat  that  had  been  received  the  month 
before.  Of  the  one  hundred  men  who  formed  the 
crew  of  Capt.  Prentis  not  one  had  fallen  in  battle, 
but  one  fourth  had  yielded  to  disease.  Several  of 
the  captains  and  some  of  the  principal  officers  were 
from  New  London.  Some  of  them,  as  well  as  many 
of  the  men,  were  members  of  Mr.  Adams'  congre- 
gation. These  were  exciting  times  in  this  town, 
and  were  among  the  stirring  scenes  in  which  his 
ministry  was  cast. 

Mr.  Adams  was  sought,  not  only  as  a  preacher 
on  public  occasions,  but  also  as  one  of  the  leading 
pastors  in  the  colony,  to  give  his  wisdom  and  ad- 
vice in  settling  differences  which  frequently  arose 
and  threatened  the  peace  of  the  churches  of  the 
colony.  A  quarrel  had  sprung  up  in  the  church  in 
Guilford,  which  was  of  so  grave  a  nature  that  the 
legislature  was  led  to  interfere.  It  appointed,  at 
its  session  in  May,  1729,  Mr.  Timothy  Woodbridge 
of  Hartford,  Mr.  William  Russel  of  Middletown, 
and  Mr.  Eliphalet  Adams  of  New  London,  a  com- 
mittee to  go  to  Guilford,  and  in  every  way  possible 
to  seek  to  accommodate  the  differences  there,  "and 
bring  that  people  to  unite  themselves  together  in 
love  and  peace  in  carrying  on  the  worship  of  God 
in  the  house  of  prayer  they  have  built  to  his  name," 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  69 

and  report  in  October.  This  committee  attended 
to  their  duties  and  reported  as  required,  when  an- 
other committee  of  seven,  of  which  Mr.  Adams  was 
one,  were  appointed  to  go  to  Guilford  again,  and 
use  all  further  means  in  their  power  "to  put  an  end 
to  the  divisions  and  contentions  in  said  society,  by 
uniting  the  spirits  of  those  good  people  that  now 
differ,  that  thereby  the  interests  of  religion  may  yet 
flourish  and  be  revived  in  said  society." 

It  was  the  custom  in  those  early  days  for  the  peo- 
ple who  came  to  church  from  a  distance,  to  remain 
between  the  services,  the  second  being  held  in  the 
afternoon.  The  intermission,  especially  in  the 
warmer  seasons  of  the  year,  was  the  occasion  for 
the  men  to  gather  in  the  country  horse-sheds,  to 
discuss,  it  is  to  be  feared,  some  other  topic  than  the 
sermon  of  the  morning,  and  for  the  women  to  gath- 
er in  some  convenient  place  for  a  quiet  hour  of  gos- 
sip, not  always  about  what  they  had  heard  from  the 
lips  of  the  preacher.  The  days  of  Sabbath  Schools 
and  Bible  classes  were  not  yet ;  so  that  that  method 
of  employing  the  time  between  the  two  sermons, 
was  not  enjoyed  by  our  ancestors  of  the  early  half 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  But  a  device  was  adopt- 
ed which  may  have  had  the  effect  to  cause  the 
"nooning"  as  it  was  called,  to  be  spent  in  a  less  sec- 
ular way  than  would  otherwise  have  been  the  case. 
Mr.  Hempstead  records  in  his  diary  the  following: 
"August  1 8,  (1734).  A  Large  Book  of  Mr.  Bax- 
ter's work  is  brot  into  the  meetinghouse  and  left 
there  to  Read  in  between  meeting  for  those  that 


70         LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

stay  there."  Surely,  with  Baxter's  Saints  Rest,  or 
some  such  volume  at  hand,  there  could  have  been 
no  good  excuse  for  the  men  to  profane  the  Sabbath 
by  discussing  the  last  town  meeting,  or  the  state 
of  the  crops ;  nor  for  the  women  to  retail  the  latest 
bit  or  neighborhood  gossip  or  scandal.  In  1870 
Dr.  Field  said  that  he  had  that  book  in  his  posses- 
sion, and  that  on  its  fly  leaf  was  this  record :  "This 
book,  with  three  volumes  more,  was  presented  to 
the  churches  of  New  London  and  Groton,  by  the 
hand  of  Dr.  Colman  of  Boston,  in  the  year  1730, 
from  the  Hon.  Samuel  Holden,  Esq.,  of  London, 
being  one  of  thirty-nine  sets  of  the  practical  works 
of  the  venerable  Richard  Baxter,  to  distribute 
among  the  churches."  How  generally  this  book 
was  read  we  do  not  know,  but  the  fact  that  in  1870, 
one  hundred  and  forty  years  after  it  was  presented 
to  the  church,  it  was  in  a  good  condition,  raises  the 
suspicion  that  it  was  not  worn  out  with  much  read- 
ing. 

The  practice  of  taking  up  contributions  in  aid  of 
worthy  objects  of  a  religious  nature,  was  in  opera- 
tion during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams,  as  the  fol- 
lowing, from  the  Hempstead  diary,  shows :  "J^'^ly  ^3 
(1721).  A  contribution  to  build  a  house  for  the 
Rector  of  Yale  College :  a  very  small  one."  So 
that  our  great  University,  of  which  we  are  justly 
proud,  was  an  object  of  the  charitable  gifts  of  this, 
and  probably  of  other  churches.  But  they  were, 
after  all  its  debtors,  for  it  was  raising  up  for  them 
a  ministry.     Another  entry  in  this  diary  reads  as 


ADAMS'    MINISTRY.  71 

follows:  "Aug.  5,  (1722).  A  contribution  for  the 
support  of  the  Presbyterian  ministers  to  preach  at 
Providence — per  order  of  the  governor  and  coun- 
cil." A  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Rhode  Is- 
land Historical  Society  at  Providence  says,  under 
date  of  March  14,  1898,  "Between  1720  and  1730  the 
churches  in  Connecticut  took  up  contributions  to 
build  a  meeting  house  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
benighted  people  here  in  Providence."  In  the  do- 
ings of  the  Governor  and  Council  in  July,  1722,  re- 
corded in  the  Colonial  Records,  [Vol.  8,  p.  303]  is 
the  following,  which  relates  to  this  matter.  Several 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  met  in  an  association  at 
New  London,  March  6,  172 1-2,  addressed  a  memor- 
ial to  the  governor  and  council,  asking  ''that  a  brief 
might  be  granted  in  several  congregations"  for 
gathering  contributions  towards  the  support  of  "the 
ministry  of  the  gospel  in  the  town  of  Providence, 
in  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island,"  in  conjunction  with 
ministers  from  the  colony  of  Massachusetts.  In 
response  it  was  resolved  that  the  brief  petitioned 
for  be  granted  and  sent  to  "the  ministers  of  the 
towns  of  New  London,  Norwich,  Groton,  Stoning- 
ton,  Preston,  Lebanon,  Windham,  Mansfield,  Can- 
terbury, Plainfield,  Pomfret  and  Killingly,  or  to  the 
deacons  of  the  churches  in  such  towns  where  there 
is  no  minister."  The  brief  also  directed  that  due 
notice  of  the  collection,  and  the  cause  for  which  it 
was  to  be  taken,  be  given  to  the  various  congrega- 
tions, that  a  time  after  service  on  the  Lord's  day  be 
fixed  for  taking  the  contributions,  and  that  they 


72         LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

**take  care  that  what  shall  be  so  collected  be  put  into 
the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Eliphalet  Adams  to  be  im- 
proved to  that  end."  This  was  one  of  the  first,  if 
not  the  very  first  Home  Missionary  movement  in 
Connecticut,  and  Eliphalet  Adams  was  its  treasurer. 

Mr.  Hempstead  records  another  collection  taken 
for  an  object  not  often  presented.  "Nov.  14,  (1725). 
A  Contribution  for  a  Canterbury  woman  who  had 
three  children  at  a  birth,  and  all  living." 

In  those  early  days  a  species  of  slavery  existed. 
Masters  bought  and  sold  servants.  But  it  is  to  be 
said  that  owners  of  servants  held  themselves  under 
obligation  for  their  spiritual  training.  The  follow- 
ing in  the  list  of  baptisms  illustrates  what  is  meant. 
"October  29,  [1738.]  Phillis  a  servt  of  mine  made 
profession  of  ye  xn  faith,  entered  into  covt  and  was 
baptized,  Phillis.  There  were  also  servt  children  of 
my  family  baptized,  as  Ishmall,  Phillis's  child  James 
and  her  child  Ziba,  and  her  child  Sylvanus ;  for  all 
whose  education  I  also  publicly  engaged."  That 
is,  Mr.  Adams  became  responsible  for  their  relig- 
ious instruction,  which  was  considered  essential  to 
give  significance  to  the  rite  of  baptism  administered 
to  children,  and  was  regarded  as  an  obligation 
which  masters  owed  their  bond-servants. 

Mr.  Adams  continued  the  weekly  lecture  on 
Wednesday.  The  preparatory  lecture,  as  we  learn 
from  Mr.  Hempstead's  diary,  was  upon  the  Friday 
before  the  Sacramental  Sabbath. 

Mr.  Hempstead  also  gives  us  the  date  when  Mr. 
Adams'  eyesight  began  more  visibly  to  fail  him- 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  73 

For  June  24,  1733,  when  Mr.  Adams  was  fifty-six 
years  old,  this  record  was  made  by  Mr.  Hempstead, 
"Sunday  fair,  a  sacrament  day.  Mr.  ad  pr  al  day, 
his  specticles  on."  Again  he  records  :  "July  2,  Sun- 
day fair,  Mr.  Adams  pr  all  day  with  his  specticles  on 
and  he  wore  them  constantly  3  or  4  Sabbaths."  As 
there  is  no  previous  record,  and  as  he  takes  spec- 
ial pains  to  make  this,  we  infer  that  this  was  the 
first  instance  in  which  the  preacher  wore  his  glasses 
in  the  ministrations  of  the  pulpit.  December  22, 
175 1,  Mr.  Hempstead  records  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Adams  dismissed  the  congregation  in  the  afternoon 
without  the  usual  closing  prayer,  and  adds,  "it  is  the 
first  time  he  forgot  himself  in  like  form."  Evident- 
ly these  were  thought  to  be  signs  that  age  was 
creeping  upon  the  pastor. 

In  1724  two  communion  cups  were  purchased  by 
the  church  for  use  at  the  Lord's  table.  In  1725 
two  others  were  presented  as  the  gift  of  the  Honora- 
ble Gurdon  Saltonstall,  purchased  with  money  pro- 
vided for  this  purpose  in  his  will.  In  1726  Mrs. 
Mary  Saltonstall  gave  another  cup.  In  1742  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Fox  presented  two  others.  All  these  are 
still  in  use.  , 

Mr.  Adams  took  a  great  responsibility  upon  him 
when  he  accepted  a  call  to  succeed  the  distinguished 
and  brilliant  preacher  who  had  preceded  him. 
But  the  sequel  proved  that  the  church  were  not  mis- 
taken as  to  the  man  upon  whom  their  choice  was 
fixed.  The  fruitage  of  his  riper  years  was  ample 
fulfillment  of  the  promise  of  his  youth.     He  was 


74  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

moderator  of  the  General  Association  when  it  met 
in  New  London  in  1742.  He  was  often  in  demand 
for  public  services  which  required  wisdom,  patience 
and  prudence. 

Mr.  Adams  was  single  when  he  came  to  New 
London.  December  15,  1709  he  was  married  to 
Lydia  Pygan.  She  was  not  at  the  time,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church ;  nor  did  she  become  one  till 
February  13,  1719,  when  Mr.  Adams  records, 
among  those  received  into  communion,  "my  own 
wife."  She  was  the  daughter  of  Alexander  Pygan 
by  his  second  wife,  who  was  Mrs.  Lydia  Boyes, 
widow  of  Samuel  Boyes.  Mrs.  Adams  was  born 
January  10,  1684-5.  She  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Sal- 
tonstall  January  24,  1691.  Mrs.  Pygan  lived  with 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Adams,  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Pygan  in  1701.  At  the  death  of  Mrs.  Pygan,  in 
1734,  her  property  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Adams.  The  house  was  on  the  west  side  of  Main 
street,  on  an  elevated  site,  opposite  the  old  town 
mill.  It  stood  on  a  lot  now  occupied  by  the  houses 
of  Mr.  P.  C.  Dunford  and  Mr.  Gilbert  Bishop.  The 
property  remained  in  the  family  until  after  the 
death  of  Dr.  Hallam.  The  ancient  Mansion  out- 
lived the  burning  of  the  town  by  Arnold,  but  it  long 
ago  gave  way  to  the  march  of  modern  improve- 
ments. Two  pine  trees  marked  the  spot  near  which 
the  old  house  stood.  One  was  called  Adam,  the 
other  Eve.  One  survives,  whether  Adam  or  Eve, 
we  do  not  know.  The  old  family  well  is  still  under 
the  corner  of  the  piazza  of  Mr.  Bishop's  house,  and 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  75 

he  drew  from  it  for  family  purposes  until  the  intro- 
duction of  city  water  from  Lake  Konomoc. 

Six  children  were  born  to  Mr.  Adams  as  the  fruit 
of  his  marriage  to  Lydia  Pygan.  He  says,  "the 
Lord  hath  given  us  6  children,  two  whereof  dying 
young,  the  others  survive  to  this  day,  and  by  God's 
blessing  on  the  education  that  we  have  given  them, 
we  have  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  any  one  of 
them.  They  have  been  no  grief  of  heart  to  us." 
The  first  was  William,  the  second  was  Pygan,  who 
was  made  a  deacon  of  the  church  in  1758;  the  third 
was  Mary,  born  March  5,  1713-14.  She  was  bap- 
tized March  26,  the  next  year.  The  fourth  was 
Thomas  who  was  baptized  January  8,  1716-17;. 
The  fifth  was  Samuel,  born  August  11,  1717 ;  he  was 
baptized  August  30  of  the  same  year,  and  died  soon 
after.  The  sixth  was  Lydia,  who  was  born  Febru- 
ary 20,  1720.  She  was  baptized  February  26,  1721, 
and  died  July  17,  of  that  year.  William,  as  we 
know,  became  a  minister;  was  never  settled  over  a 
parish,  was  never  married,  and  died  September  25, 
1798,  at  the  advanced  age  of  over  eighty-seven. 
Pygan  Adams  became  a  merchant  in  New  London, 
and  was  a  man  of  great  influence  in  town  and  in 
church.  He  lived  probably  in  the  old  family  man- 
sion, to  the  age  of  sixty-four  and  died  in  July,  1776. 
Mary  married  first.  Dr.  Jonathan  Gardiner,  and 
second,  John  Bulkeley  of  Colchester,  a  grandson 
of  Rev.  Gershom  Bulkeley.  She  died  January  24, 
1749-50.  Thomas  became  a  physician,  and  settled 
at  East  Haddam.     He  died  in  September,    1753, 


76  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

about  a  month  before  his  father.  The  male  de- 
scendants of  Eliphalet  Adams,  in  direct  Hne,  are  ex- 
tinct. Rev.  Robert  Hallam,  D.  D.,  was  descended 
from  him  through  Deacon  Pygan  Adams.  Dr. 
Hallam  says,  "the  Rev.  EHphalet  Adams,  my  great, 
great  grandfather."  [Annals,  p.  44.]  Dr.  Hal- 
lam was  a  son  of  Oliver  Hallam,  who  was  a  son  of 
Robert  Hallam,  who  married  Lydia,  daughter  of 
Pygan  Adams,  and  granddaughter  of  Eliphalet 
Adams.  She  died  October  29,  1845.  From  Mr. 
Adams'  daughter  Mary,  have  descended  other  well 
known  families.  Miss  Caulkins  says  "Mrs.  Bulke- 
ley  occupies  the  pleasing  distinction  of  ancestress  to 
John  J.  C.  Brainerd,  a  man  of  taste  and  genius,  the 
gifted  poet  of  New  London,  and  hitherto  [1852]  the 
only  one  which  the  town  has  produced."  He  was 
son  of  the  Hon.  Jeremiah  Gates  Brainerd  and  his 
wife  Sarah,  who  was  granddaughter  of  Mrs.  Bulke- 
ley  by  her  first  husband.  Two  of  Mrs.  Bulkeley's 
daughters  married,  the  one  into  the  Latimer  family, 
the  other  into  the  family  of  Lambs  of  Groton. 
These  are  the  only  families  descending  from  Mr. 
Adams  which  remain. 

Mrs.  Adams  died  September  6,  1749.  She  was 
seized  with  apoplexy  while  spending  the  afternoon 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Samuel  Edgecomb.  Mr. 
Hempstead  records  in  his  diary :  "Mrs.  Adams  ta- 
ken with  an  apoplectic  fitt  at  Samll  Edgecomb's 
about  3  o'clock  being  out  on  a  visit  and  as  well  or 
better  in  health  than  she  hath  been  of  late.  She  had 
just  iinisht  drinking  3  or  4  dishes  of  tea."     She 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  77 

died  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  September 
6,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years  and  eight  months. 
Of  the  hours  during  which  she  hung  between  hfe 
and  death,  her  husband  said,  ''a  dreadful  interval  of 
time  to  me,  which  no  words  of  mine  have  power 
to  express."  The  next  Sabbath  he  preached  a  fun- 
eral discourse  of  which  the  text  was  Ezekiel  24 :  16 ; 
Son  of  man  behold  I  take  away  from  thee  the  desire 
of  thine  eyes.  In  the  course  of  the  sermon,  allud- 
ing to  the  sympathy  and  kindness  which  had  been 
shown  him,  he  said,  "the  Reverend  Mr.  Graves 
prayed  with  us  again  and  again  with  much  sym- 
pathy." Those  who  had  left  the  fellowship  of  the 
church  were  among  the  first  to  come  to  the  help  and 
comfort  of  the  stricken  household.  Not  long  after, 
January  24,  1750,  while  his  heart  was  yet  bleeding 
from  the  sudden  stroke  which  sundered  the  ties  that 
had  bound  him  to  the  partner  of  his  life,  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Bulkeley  of  Colchester,  was  taken  from 
him.  Mr.  Hempstead  records  in  his  diary  on  the 
above  date,  she  "died  with  the  Dropsie  this  day 
about  one  of  the  clock,  aged  I  suppose  about  34  or 
5."  It  fell  to  the  lot  of  her  father  to  preach  the  fun- 
eral sermon.  Miss  Caulkins  says  truly  of  this  dis- 
course, it  "shows  no  decay  of  pulpit  energy,  or  fine 
feeling.  The  language  is  full  and  flowing,  and  a 
tender  earnestness  pervades  the  whole  discourse." 
September  21,  1751  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Wass  of  Boston,  who  survived  him. 

The  times  in  which  Mr.  Adams  lived,  the  fluctu- 
ations prevalent  in  the  minds  of  men  upon  religious 


78  LATER   HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

questions,  the  rise  of  new  religious  societies  in  a 
field  where  Congregationalism  had  been  the  sole  oc- 
cupant, the  frenzy  occasioned  among  his  own  peo- 
ple by  the  Separatist  movement,  and  the  sorrows 
which  pierced  his  soul  late  in  life,  were  all  calcu- 
lated to  test  the  kind  of  stuf¥  of  which  he  was  made. 
"The  perfection  of  his  character  is  shown,  in  that, 
amid  all  this  change  and  progress,  he  kept  his  bark 
steady."  It  is  no  small  testimony  to  the  worth  of 
his  character  that  Matthew  Stewart  spoke  of  him  as 
the  most  superior  person  in  Connecticut.  In  all 
the  excitement  of  the  Separate  movement,  Mr. 
Adams  kept  cool,  steadfastly  pursued  the  tenor  of 
his  course,  was  conciliatory,  and  never  acted  on  the 
aggressive.  Standing  thus  firmly  and  quietly  at  his 
post,  he  kept  the  body  of  his  people  together, 
though  here  and  there  a  convert  was  borne  away 
from  his  fold.  His  wise  and  firm  course  secured  for 
him  the  title  from  the  opposing  party,  ''a  dumb  dog 
that  would  not  bark." 

Mr.  Adams  seems  to  have  been  a  methodical 
man.  He  wrote  a  full,  round,  beautiful  hand,  eas- 
ily legible,  even  at  this  distance  of  a  century  and  a 
half.  He  was  a  typical  minister  of  the  olden  times, 
and  a  man  who  won  the  esteem  and  affection  of  his 
people,  and  the  high  regard  and  unabated  confi- 
dence of  all  who  knew  him. 

The  will  of  Mr.  Adams,  like  that  of  every  other 
man,  is  a  ray  of  light  thrown  upon  his  character. 
This  is  especially  true  of  its  opening  sentences, 
which  are  as  follows :  'Tn  the  name  of  God,  Amen. 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  79 

I,  Eliphalet  Adams  of  New  London,  in  the  County 
of  New  London  and  Colony  of  Connecticut,  clerk, 
being  in  health  and  of  sound  mind  and  memory, 
yet  calling  to  mind  the  mortality  of  my  body,  and 
knowing  that  it  is  appointed  for  all  men  once  to  die, 
do  make  and  ordain  this  my  last  will  and  Testa- 
ment." 

''That  is  to  say,  I  do  first  and  principally  commend 
my  soul  into  the  hands  of  God,  beseeching  him  to 
accept  it  on  ye  account,  of  ye  merits  and  mediation 
of  Jesus  Christ,  my  Blessed  Redeemer.  And  my 
Body  to  the  earth  to  be  buried  in  a  Decent  manner 
at  ye  Discretion  of  my  executors  hereafter  men- 
tioned." Then  follow  bequests  to  his  wife  and  his 
sons  which  show  that,  like  his  predecessors,  he 
came  to  be  quite  an  extensive  landholder.  His 
three  sons,  William,  Pygan  and  Thomas,  were 
named  as  the  executors  of  his  will.  It  was  drawn, 
signed  and  sealed  August  ii,  1752,  in  the  presence 
of  Joseph  Coit,  Thomas  Greene  and  Samuel  Gar- 
diner. It  was  admitted  to  probate  by  the  Hon. 
Gurdon  Saltonstall,  October  9,  1753.  From  his 
will  it  appears  that  Mr.  Adams  had  accumulated  a 
considerable  estate.  His  salary  was  never  large, 
according  to  more  modern  figures.  But,  like  the 
parsons  of  those  early  times,  he  seems  to  have 
learned  the  art  of  living  well  within  his  income. 
There  were  then  far  less  drafts  upon  the  ministerial 
exchequer  than  in  these  days  of  many  books,  mag- 
azines and  papers,  not  to  mention  the  numerous  oc- 
casions which  take  the  pastor  of  today  away  from 


80  LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

home  by  public  conveyance.  Mr.  Child  [Colonial 
Parson,  p.  153]  says  "many  of  the  parsons  were 
Vell-to-do.'  They  had  a  fair  proportion  of  this 
world's  goods.  By  inheritance,  by  marriage,  or  by 
management,  they  came  into  possession  of  goodly 
properties  so  that  their  estates  appear  to  advantage 
on  the  records  of  the  probate  court."  Mr.  Adams 
got  little  by  inheritance  from  his  father,  whose  es- 
tate inventoried  less  than  £  1400.  His  accumula- 
tions must  be  credited  to  marriage  and  manage- 
ment, and  the  gifts  of  the  town. 

The  ministry  of  Mr.  Adams  continued  from  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1708-9  to  October  4,  1753,  the  date  of  his 
death — a  period  of  forty-four  years,  seven  months, 
and  twenty-five  days.  Under  date  of  October  4, 
1753,  Mr.  Hempstead  says,  'Tn  the  morning  *  *  * 
Mr.  Eliphalet  Adams  expired  in  a  good  old  age,  76 
last  March.  He  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  first  and 
only  church  in  this  town  February,  1708-9,  and  con- 
tinued preaching  until  the  latter  end  of  this  summer 
he  was  visited  with  the  fever  and  ague,  and  last  with 
the  bloody  flux  which  carried  him  off."  The  fun- 
eral was  at  the  close  of  the  following  day.  The  pall 
bearers  were  Rev.  George  Griswold  of  East  Lyme, 
Rev.  Samuel  Johnson  of  Old  Lyme,  Rev.  Matthew 
Graves  of  Saint  James  Church,  Colonel  Saltonstall, 
Deacon  Timothy  Green  and  Mr.  Joshua  Hempstead. 
Mr.  Hempstead  says,  "Mr.  Adams  preached  but 
two  days  since  the  8  of  July,  being  then  taken  with 
the  fever  and  ague,  and  continued  unable  to  preach 
until  the  26  of  August  he  preached  all  day,  and  on 


ADAMS'   MINISTRY.  81 

the  2  of  September  was  his  last  day's  preaching ;  be- 
ing soon  taken  with  the  common  distemper,  the 
bloody  flux,  he  was  carried  off  very  gradually  and 
died  easily,  slowly  and  willingly  had  his  reason,  but 
his  speech  failed  a  day  or  two  at  last.  He  was  a 
gentleman  of  a  Quiet  and  Peaceable  disposition,  and 
well  read  in  History  as  well  as  Divinity."  Miss 
Caulkins  gives  September  9  as  Mr.  Adams'  last  Sab- 
bath service,  but  he  did  not  preach.  We  learn  from 
the  Hempstead  diary  that  Rev.  Samuel  Johnson  of 
Old  Lyme  preached  on  that  day.  But  Mr.  Adams 
was  present  and  baptized  William  Morgan's  child, 
Bridget.  This  was  the  last  act  of  his  long,  useful 
and  able  ministry. 

On  a  red  sand-stone  tablet  in  the  old  burying 
ground,  is  this  inscription  to  his  memory : 

Here  lies  the  Remains  of 

The  Revd  Mr.  Eliphalet  Adams, 

Who  rested  from  his  Labours, 

October  4th  A.  D.  1753, 

In  the  77th  year  of  his  age. 


So  just  the  skies,  Philander's  Life  so  Pain'd, 
His  Hart  so  pure,  that,  or  succeeding  scenes 
Have  Palms  to  give,  or  ne'er  had  he  been  born. 


Heb.  6:-10. 


III. 

THK      PASTORATE      OF     ELIPHALET    ADAMS; 

THE   PREACHER. 


The  story  of  a  pastorate  would  not  be  complete 
without  some  account  of  the  man  as  a  preacher. 
His  published  sermons  furnish  the  best  ground  of 
judgment.  Fortunately  several  sermons  of  Mr. 
Adams',  which  were  published,  have  come  down  to 
us,  and  from  them  we  are  able  to  judge  of  him  with 
a  good  degree  of  justice  and  accuracy  as  a  preacher. 

The  first  notice  which  we  have  of  him  as  in  the 
pulpit  is  this  brief  item  recorded  in  his  diary. 
"1696,  Nov.  25,  I  came  to  Little  Compton  to  preach 
among  ym."  This  was  probably  Little  Compton, 
R.  L 

Again  he  records  in  his  diary,  "Sept.  5,  1699  ^ 
went  to  Hartford  with  my  brother  Whiting,  where 
the  people  of  Farmington  met  with  me  and  gave 
me  an  earnest  invitation  to  come  and  exercise 
ye  work  of  the  ministry  among  ym."  ''Sept.  14  I 
returned  home  with  safety."  This  must  have  been 
a   call   to   succeed    Samuel    Hooker   who    died   in 

1697.  The  call  was  not  accepted  and  we  may 
suppose  that  he  continued  for  some  time  in  the 
Indian  work,  to  which  he  had  been  appointed  in 

1698.  However,  in   the  years   1701   and   1703  he 


THE  PREACHER.  83 

preached  in  Boston  as  an  assistant  of  Rev.  Ben- 
jamin Colman  D.  D.,  the  brilliant  pastor  of  the  Brat- 
tle Street  Church.  He  was  still  preaching  in  Bos- 
ton when  called  to  New  London. 

As  a  preacher  he  stood  high  in  the  colony.  His 
pulpit  abilities  were  of  an  unusual  order.  Rev. 
John  Barnard,  enumerating  the  most  eminent  di- 
vines of  New  England,  whom  he  had  known  per- 
sonally, includes  Mr.  Adams  in  the  list.  He  was 
sought  for  to  preach  on  public  occasions.  He  was 
twice  appointed  to  preach  the  election  sermon  be- 
fore the  Connecticut  Legislature,  May  ii,  1710,  and 
May  10,  1733.  Amos  5  :  24  was  the  text  of  the  first 
of  these  sermons.  A  copy  of  it  was  solicited  for 
publication,  and  Mr.  Hoadly  says  ''it  was  the  first 
election  sermon  printed  in  Connecticut."  The  text 
of  the  second  was  Isaiah  65:8.  This  was  also  pub- 
lished at  the  request  of  the  legislature,  and  appeared 
in  a  16  mo.  edition  of  seventy-nine  pages.  The  fact 
that  he  was  twice  chosen  to  this  honor  proves  that 
he  had  more  than  local  fame  as  a  preacher. 

For  the  times  in  which  he  lived,  Mr.  Adams  was 
a  preacher  of  spiritual  power.  Examples  show  that 
he  was  direct,  earnest,  and  evangelical  in  his  pres- 
entation of  the  truth.  Every  year,  unless  1749  and 
1 75 1  are  excepted,  during  his  long  pastorate,  there 
were  accessions  to  the  church,  mostly  upon  profes- 
sion of  faith.  In  several  of  the  years  the  number  of 
the  additions  point  to  a  more  than  usual  degree  of 
religious  interest,  among  the  people.  Tracy's  Great 
Awakening  says  that  under  Mr.  Adams  "there  had 


84        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

been  a  happy  revival  in  1721,  the  period  of  deepest 
darkness  in  New  England,  [p.  235.]"  Of  course 
the  season  of  greatest  quickening,  and  of  largest 
ingathering,  was  the  period  of  the  Great  Awaken- 
ing. 

He  seems  to  have  been  accustomed  to  seize  on 
striking  events  and  providences  to  make  them 
themes  of  discourse  for  the  spiritual  profit  of  his 
flock.  In  February,  1716-17  occurred  a  snowstorm 
of  so  great  magnitude  as  to  become  famous  in  the 
annals  of  New  England.  Mr.  Hempstead  in  his  di- 
ary makes  daily  record  of  the  storm  which  contin- 
ued, without  much  abatement  from  February  20  to 
March  2.  It  was  so  severe  that  public  religious  ser- 
vices were  omitted,  February  24,  at  the  meeting- 
house. March  3  they  were  resumed,  and  Mr. 
Adams  preached  a  sermon  from  this  text :  Nahum 
1:3.  The  Lord  hath  his  way  in  the  whirlwind  and  in  the 
storm,  and  the  clouds  are  the  dust  of  his  feet. 

Ten  sermons  of  Mr.  Adams,  published  by  Timo- 
thy Green  of  New  London,  are  in  existence.  It  may 
be  presumed  that  they  are  the  best  specimens  of  his 
pulpit  eloquence.  They  were  preached  on  various 
public  occasions,  such  as  ordinations,  funerals, 
the  execution  of  Catherine  Garret,  etc.  But  we 
come  to  notice,  more  at  length,  the  famous  sermon, 
preached  the  Sabbath  after  the  meeting-house  was 
struck  by  lightning,  August  31,  1735.  The  text 
was.  Psalms  65  :  5.  "By  terrible  things  in  Right- 
eousness, wilt  thou  answer  us,  O  God  of  Our  Salva- 
tion." 


GOD  feMetimes  Anfwers  His  Veeph,  iy 
Terrthte  Things    in    Ri^hccoufnefs, 


Occafioned  by  that  Awful 

Which   Struck  the 

Meeting-Houfe  in  Jl^^ltOllllOlt^ 

Aug.  |iy^  I  7  3  S' 
At  what  Time  One  was  Killed  outright  and 
diverfe  Others  muclf  hurt  and  wounded, 
Yet  gi  a^rioufly  &  remaikablf  Preferved, 
together  with  the  reft  of  the  Congrega- 
tion^^from  Immediate  Death. 

AS    IT    WAb 

Delivered  (  Sept,  yth.  )  the  Lord^s  Day  Following. 

By  Eliphalet  Adams,  M.  Al 

And  Fajiar  «/  tht  Church  there, 

—Mil,        ^    _j_^^ I  iiim—  II ..  .1 II''  LI       -nil        <miMm.^»»  »mm ■  «'  ^mmmimfmm>i»mmmmmi^0mmmmmsiit!m&»^^ 

^  Pfei*  Ixxxi.  7. 

4 anfwered  thee  in  the  fecret  place  ofllunder^, 

Eefpondi  tibi  in  Loco  Abfcondito  Domus  majcftadl; 
meg;,  perfonantibus  Coram  mc  rdtis  Igneis. 


111 <•  l|)nmimaiii«iiii# 


^  ^.WmON.VdmA  h  Spidby  T.  G  R  |E  K,  t^U 


THE  PREACHER.  8& 

The  sermon  is  prefaced  by  a  note  from  the  pastor 
to  his  flock,  in  which  he  opens  his  heart  to  them. 
It  is  a  gUmpse  into  the  character  of  the  man.  It  is 
the  voice  of  the  shepherd  calUng  to  his  sheep.  It 
sheds  a  Hght  upon  his  long  and  eminently  useful 
pastorate.     It  is  quoted  entire. 

To  my  Dear  Friends 

The 

FLOCK 

Under  my  Pastoral  Care. 


Since  it  is  at  your  Request  and  Importunity,  that  the  follow- 
ing Discourse  now  sees  the  Light,  this  will  not  only  supersede 
all  other  Apologies  to  the  world,  for  its  being  made  Publick, 
of  which  I  had  no  manner  of  tho't  when  it  was  first  com- 
posed; but  also  Justify  me  in  a  farther  Address  to  you  on  so 
awful  an  Occasion. 

I  could  not  but  take  Notice  of  the  Crowded  Assembly  when 
it  was  Delivered,  Many  (doubtless)  being  led  by  their  Curios- 
ity to  hear  some  New  thing,  and  observe  what  our  Sentiments- 
and  Dispositions  were  under  such  an  Awful  hand  of  God,  And 
Oh  that  our  Behaviour  at  this  Day  may  be  suitable  and  be- 
coming both  in  the  Eyes  of  God  and  Men. 

Moses  giving  a  relation  of  the  Solemnity  of  that  Day  when 
the  Law  was  given  from  Mount  Sinai,  thus  expresseth  him- 
self, Deut.  4:32.  33.  "But  ask  now  of  the  days  that  are  past 
which  were  before  thee,  since  the  day  that  God  created  man 
upon  Earth,  and  ask  from  the  one  side  of  heaven  unto  the 
other,  whither  there  hath  been  any  such  thing,  as  this  great 
thing  is,  or  hath  been  heard  like  it,  Did  ever  people  hear  the 
Voice  of  God,  speaking  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire,  as  thou 
hast  heard  and  live?" 

Never  was  any  Dispensation  in  all  its  Circumstances  to  be 
compared  to  that.    It  was  a  wonder  how  their  frail  Natures 


86         LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

could  endure  the  Majesty  and  Terror  of  the  Lord  that  they 
were  not  quite  oppressed  by  the  over-bearing  Glory. 

However,  Something  like  this;  We  also  have  heard  "the 
voice  of  God,  speaking  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire,"  and  yet 
we  live.  And  it  is  hard  to  say  whither  the  greatness  of  the 
Danger  or  the  wonderfulness  of  our  Preservation  be  most 
to  be  Admired;  And  possibly  one  end  of  his,  in  bringing  us 
into  Danger  was  to  show  his  great  power  and  mercy  in  our 
signal  Preservation  and  Escape. 

We  also  like  the  People  of  Israel,  were  thrown  into  great 
fear  and  Consternation,  and  perhaps  like  them  were  ready 
to  promise,  Let  the  Lord  please  to  declare  unto  us  his  Will 
in  a  more  familiar  and  gentle  way  and  we  will  hear  it  and 
do  it.  If  such  impressions  were  made  upon  us,  no  doubt  the 
Lord  approves  of  them  so  far  as  to  desire  they  may  be  lasting, 
Deut.  5:29.  "Oh!  that  there  were  such  an  heart  in  them,  that 
they  would  fear  me  and  keep  my  commandments  always,  that 
it  might  be  well  with  them  and  with  their  children  forever." 

Doubtless  you  are  persuaded,  that  it  is  not  enough  to  be  a 
little  startled  and  put  on  a  face  of  seriousness  for  a  time. 
We  must  think  on  our  ways  and  turn  our  feet  into  God's  testi- 
monies. And  tho  frowns  and  Severities  alone,  be  they  ever  so 
sharp  and  awful,  will  not  produce  an  happy  change  of  Heart 
and  Life.  Yet  by  disposing  us  to  be  more  Serious  and 
thoughtful,  they  may  prepare  the  way  for  God's  grace  to  Effect 
this  desirable  change;  when  every  Valley  is  exalted  and  every 
Mountain  and  hill  made  Low,  there  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  may 
be  revealed. 

I  have  in  the  following  Discourse,  taken  the  opportunity  to 
recommend  and  press  several  particulars  for  the  Amendment 
of  our  Conduct,  which  now  it  is  put  into  Your  hands,  I  trust 
you  will  peruse  with  a  suitable  regard,  for  are  there  not  with 
us,  Even  with  us  Sins  against  the  Lord?  Every  one  may 
know  the  Plague  of  their  own  Hearts,  and  Discern  the  Error 
of  their  ways,  if  they  would  set  themselves  diligently  to  En- 
quire. Let  us  then  Search  and  try  our  ways  and  turn  again 
unto  the  Lord. 


THE  PREACHER.  87 

God  hath  graciously  begun  of  late  a  good  work  in  the  Coun- 
try. [Reference  is  here  made  to  the  work  of  grace,  which 
began  in  Northampton  in  the  latter  part  of  1734.]  We  hear  of 
great  Numbers  of  People  "asking  the  way  to  Zion  with  their 
faces  thitherward."  Why  should  we  be  the  last  to  bring  the 
King  back  to  his  Throne?  Yea,  why  should  we  come  behind 
the  very  chiefest  of  Christians. 

It  is  Certainly  our  interest  as  well  as  Duty,  to  get  Near 
to  our  God  and  keep  Near  to  our  God,  to  walk  in  all  his 
Ways  and  keep  his  Commandments,  as  he  Commanded  our 
Fathers;  And  who  can  tell  what  reserves  of  Mercy  of  this 
kind,  he  may  have  in  store  for  us?  When  he  pleases  to  work, 
there  is  Nothing  can  Let  it,  then  the  "hearts  of  the  rest 
shall  understand  knowledge;"  the  most  stubborn  tempers 
yield  and  the  Heart  of  Stone  be  changed  into  an  heart  of 
Flesh. 

If  this  may  but  be  the  fruit,  even  to  take  away  all  our  Sin, 
if  by  this,  our  "Iniquity  may  be  purged."  We  shall  have  rea- 
son to  bless  the  Stroke  that  drives  us  home  to  our  God  and 
directs  our  feet  into  the  path  of  Life. 

I  trust  there  will  be  but  little  Need  to  lay  in  caution  that  you 
guard  against  such  Seducers  and  Sectaries  who  are  still  say- 
ing "Lo  here  is  Christ"  or  "Lo  there;"  And  are  ready  to  rep- 
resent that  it  is  safer  taking  on  with  them  against  whom 
as  yet  no  such  Severity  hath  been  displayed.  Since  you  are 
taught  of  God  that  Neither  Love  nor  Hatred  is  certainly 
to  be  learned  by  anything  that  is  before  us.  Or  if  anything 
of  that  nature  be  to  be  gathered,  we  are  told  that  "Whom  the 
Lord  Loves  he  rebukes  and  chastens"  and  that  Judgment 
sometimes  begins  at  the  House  of  God;  Only  let  us  be  Hum- 
bled under  the  Lord's  Discipline  and  let  them  remember  that 
it  is  their  wisdom,  "not  to  be  highminded  but  to  Fear." 

I  am  now  Growing  into  Years  and  as  I  would  ask  Your  pray- 
ers for  me,  that  while  I  am  Continued,  I  may  be  enabled  to 
speak  the  Word  plainly  and  boldly,  as  a  "good  steward  of  the 
manifold  grace  of  God;"  so  "God  forbid  that  I  should  sin 
against  the  Lord  in  ceasing  to  pray  for  you,"   or  in  failing 


88        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

(as  I  am  able)  to  "teach  you  the  good  and  the  right  way. 
[Mr.  Adams  was  now  fifty-eight  years  old,  and  had  been  pastor 
of  the  church  more  than  twenty-six  years.] 

We  have  Escaped  this  Time,  but  there  will  quickly  come 
a  time  when  we  shall  no  Longer  Escape.  "Man  Goeth  to  his 
long  home,"  And  Death  which  is  approaching  by  Insensible 
steps  should  never  be  out  of  our  Minds. 

Nor  should  we  forget  the  Time,  when  (as  the  Apostle  Peter 

tells  us)  2  Pet.   3:10,   etc "the   Heavens   shall  pass  away 

with  a  great  Noise,  and  the  Elements  shall  meet  with  fer- 
vent heat,  the  Earth  also  and  the  works  that  are  therein 
shall  be  burnt  up:  Seeing  that  all  these  things  shall  be  Dis- 
solved, what  manner  of  persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy 
Conversation  and  godliness,  Looking  for  and  hasting  to  the 
Coming  of  the  day  of  God,  wherein  the  Heavens  being  on  fire, 
shall  be  dissolved  and  the  Elements  shall  melt  with  fervent 
heat." 

Finally,  Whatever  good  Impressions  have  been  made  upon 
any  of  us,  by  this  late  Awful  Dispensation  of  divine  provi- 
dence. May  the  Lord  our  God,  "Keep  this  forever  in  the  Imag- 
ination of  the  thoughts  of  the  heart  of  his  people  and  pre- 
pare our  hearts  unto  him."  As  we  were  seasonably  taught 
from,  1  Chron.  29:18,  by  a  message  in  the  mouth  of  his  Ser- 
vant,* the  same  Day  when  the  following  discourse  was  deliv- 
ered; And  may  we  all  of  us  give  diligence  that  we  may  be 
found  of  him  in  peace,  without  spot  and  blameless. 

I  am 
Your  Affectionate  Pastor 

ELIPHALET   ADAMS. 

*[The  Rev'd  Mr.  William  Williams  of  Weston.] 

The  sermon  which  followed  was  of  like  character, 
with  the  foregoing  letter.  The  text  was  Psalms, 
65  :  5.  The  theme  was  treated  under  three  general 
heads :  ''First,  that  God  sometimes  appears  and 
manifests   himself   to   his   people   in   very   terrible 


THE  PREACHER.    ,  8& 

things ;  secondly,  that  when  he  doth  so,  it  is  always 
in  righteousness ;  thirdly,  that  yet  at  the  same  time 
he  is  the  God  of  their  salvation."  Each  of  these 
heads  was  developed  appropriately  under  various 
subdivisions,  in  a  way  calculated  to  enforce  the  les- 
sons of  the  tragic  event  which  called  the  sermon 
forth.  He  then  proceeded  to  what  he  terms  ''the 
Improvement."     It  was  as  follows  : 

I.  Doth  the  God  of  their  Salvation  sometimes  manifest 
himself  to  his  people  by  Terrible  things  in  Righteousness? 
Then  it  is  a  weakness  even  in  them  to  expect  that  the  Course 
of  his  providential  dealings  with  them,  should  be  always 
smooth,  gentle  and  easie.  *  *  * 

II.  Doth  the  God  of  our  Salvation  sometimes  manifest 
himself  to  his  people  by  Terrible  things  in  Righteousness? 
Then  it  is  not  for  them  to  Murmur  and  Complain,  no,  not  so 
much  as  to  think  hardly  of  the  providence  of  God,  when  such 
things  happen  to  them.  *  *  * 

III.  Doth  the  God  of  our  Salvation  sometimes  manifest 
himself  to  his  people  by  Terrible  things  in  Righteousness? 
Then  all  their  religious  Friends  that  hear  of  such  severe 
dispensations  of  divine  providence,  towards  any  person  or 
people,  should  be  sure  to  pity.  Sympathize  with,  and  pray 
for  them.  *  *  * 

IV.  Doth  the  God  of  our  Salvation  sometimes  manifest 
himself  to  his  people  by  Terrible  things  in  Righteousness? 
It  becomes  them  in  such  a  day,  to  Consider  what  the  call  and 
Language  of  such  providence  is,  and  to  Comply  as  readily 
and  punctually  as  ever  they  can,  with  the  Lord's  design  and 
Intention.  There  is  a  meaning  in  all  such  providences,  which 
we  should  be  solicitous  and  inquisitive  to  find  out,  with  a 
resolution  to  Comply  with.  *  *  * 

And  this  brings  me  to  Discourse  more  particularly  of  the 
Awful  Dispensation  of  divine  providence  towards  Us  of  this 
Congregation  the  last  Lord's  Day. 


90        LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

We  had  finished  our  forenoon's  Service  and  were  returned 
again  to  the  house  of  the  Lord,  when  no  small  Storm  came 
over  us,  which  prevented  diverse  of  the  Congregation  from 
assembling  together  with  us;  No  sooner  had  we,  that  were 
met,  risen  up  to  worship  and  scarce  had  we  begun  to  utter 
ourselves  before  the  Lord,  when  a  dreadful  Thunder-clap 
broke  upon  us,  with  an  amazing  Noise,  as  if  diverse  Cannon 
had  been  Discharged  at  once:  The  fire  of  God  fell  among  us, 
rending  the  House  in  a  wonderful  manner,  which  I  may  not 
stand,  neither  would  it  be  proper,  now  to  Describe;  Striking 
down  to  the  ground  great  Numbers  of  people.  Burning  and 
wounding  several  in  a  most  sorrowful  manner;  One  desirable 
Youth*  after  a  little  struggle  presently  expiring,  the  Lightning 
having  licked  up  his  spirits  beyond  recovery. 

Others,  upon  application  of  proper  remedies,  being  brought 
to  their  Senses,  were  after  a  while  carried  home,  where  some 
of  them  are  still  the  Lord's  prisoners,  waiting  upon  the  same 
hand  that  wounded,  graciously  to  heal  and  restore.  And  others 
are  come  halting  hither  to  Day,  to  give  thanks  to  the  "God 
of  their  Salvation;"  All  of  us  stunned  and  astonished  with 
the  sudden  and  surprising  Blow;  Methinks  the  dreadful  sound 
is  still  in  our  Ears  and  we  shall  scarce  forget  it  to  our  Dying 
Day.  Thus  did  the  God  of  our  Salvation  answer  us  by  Terrible 
things  in  Righteousness. 

It  can  scarce  be  expressed  by  words  the  Concern,  the  Sur- 
prise, the  Consternation  that  was  among  us  on  that  Occasion. 
Every  ones  Countenance  w^as  changed  at  what  had  happened. 
Uncertain  whither  there  might  not  be  something  yet  more 
Severe  presently  to  follow. 

When  we  could  a  little  recover  ourselves,  then  the  Cries  of 
friends  for  them  that  needed  help,  were  very  pitiful  and  affect- 
ing. 

We  ran  to  the  assistance  of  One,  and  behold  Another  and 
Another  and  Another  in  every  corner  of  the  House,  wanted 
us  at  the  same  time;  We  were  all  busied  in  doing  good  offices 
for  our  friends,  of  one  kind  or  another,  to  recover  them  that 
were  quite  stunned  with  the  blow,  to  revive  them  that  fainted 

*Edwin  Burch. 


THE   PREACHER.  91 

and  bind  up  the  wounded  and  at  length  (when  they  were  in 
condition  for  it)  to  attend  and  bear  them  to  their  several 
homes;  And  only  one,  by  the  awful  dispensation  of  provi- 
dence, was  carried  off  dead,  beyond  all  possibility  of  recovery; 
Thus  instead  of  the  usual  Exercises  of  the  Lord's  Day,  this 
was  our  imployment  for  that  afternoon.  And  when  we  had 
sent  off  our  dear  friends  sufficiently  attended,  we  had  no  more 
time  left,  but  only  to  call  together  the  remains  of  the  Congre- 
gation and  in  a  short  and  humble  address  to  God,  to  give 
thanks  for  our  preservation  and  bewail  the  "burning  which 
the  Lord  had  kindled:"  So  we  hastened  home  to  the  farther  as- 
sistance of  our  wounded  and  Languishing  friends  and  also  to 
bemoan  and  comfort  them  that  had  been  so  awfully  bereaved. 

The  Lord  himself  was  pleased  to  preach  to  us  more  im- 
mediately that  afternoon  in  a  tremendous  manner,  causing 
such  a  seriousness,  trembling  and  Consternation,  as  it  did 
at  Mount  Sinai,  at  the  giving  of  the  Law.   Exod  20.  18,  19.  *  *  * 

Too  often  (we  must  Confess)  we  have  made  too  light  of  the 
Calls  and  warnings  that  have  been  given  us  by  man,  but  "how 
shall  we  Escape  if  we  turn  away  from  him,  that  thus  speaketh 
from  Heaven?" 

I  shall  Cast  what  I  have  further  to  say  upon  this  Occasion 
into  the  following  method. 

FIRST.  I  shall  Consider  what  Constructions  may  possibly 
and  also  ought  to  be  made,  of  this  astonishing  dispensation 
of  divine  providence.  In  such  cases  Every  one  have  their  Sen- 
timents, all" persons  have  their  say;  Some  perhaps  may  Cen- 
sure us  as  greater  Sinners  than  Ordinary,  because  we  have 
Suffered  such  things;  Others,*  that  are  more  forsaken  of  sense 
and  reason,  may  Interpret  it,  as  a  Testimony  from  Heaven, 
against  our  Observation  of  Holy  Time  and  professing  to  spend 
it  in  the  worship  and  service  of  God;  [*Reference  is  probably 
made  to  the  Rogerenes.]  To  these  last  I  would  say.  That 
when  we  are  commanded  "not  to  forsake,  the  assembling 
of  our  selves  together,  as  the  manner  of  some  is,  When  the 
word  is  to  be  "preached  in  season"  and  "out  of  season;" 
when  a  Seventh  part  of  our  time  hath  been  set  apart  from 


92        LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

the  beginning  and  made  Sacred  to  the  service  of  God  and  the 
care  of  our  Souls,  by  a  Statute  for  Ever;  We  may  Easily  pass 
by  such  Censures  as  these  and  pity  those  that  offer  them.  *  *  * 

To  the  first  I  would  say,  in  our  Blessed  Saviour's  words, 
"Judge  not  that  ye  be  not  judged."  *  *  * 

But  before  the  Lord  our  God,  we  must  fall  down  and  adore 
his  Sovereignty,  acknowledge  his  righteousness,  Kis  the  rod, 
accept  the  punishment  of  our  Iniquity  and  own  that  he  hath 
punished  us  Less  than  our  Iniquities  have  Deserved,  while 
he  thus  spits  in  our  faces  and  makes  us  an  Example  before 
the  world.  *  *  * 

SECONDLY.  I  shall  call  upon  the  whole  preserved  Congre- 
gation never  to  forget,  but  always  to  praise  God  for  their 
Eminent  Deliverance.  We  might  have  died  by  Scores  and  by 
Hundreds,  Yea,  the  whole  Congregation  might  have  beeQ  dis- 
patch'd  at  once  into  Eternity,  The  House  might  have  been 
burnt  about  our  Ears.  *  *  *  How  is  it  that  we  have  Es- 
caped, but  only  that  it  pleased  our  heavenly  Father  to  have 
Care  of  our  Lives  and  mix  abundance  of  Mercy  with  this 
Judgement;  And  shall  we  not  now  cry  out  in  the  Language  of 
the  Text,  "O  God  of  our  Salvation!"  "O  God  of  our  Salva- 
tion!" *  *  * 

And  it  is  well  worthy  of  Remark,  that  there  were  many 
Instances  of  persons,  who  but  just  before,  removed  from  their 
usual  places  of  Sitting,  Some  to  avoid  the  rain  that  came  down 
upon  them.  Some  moved  with  fear  and  some  (perhaps)  for 
no  manifest  reason,  who,  if  they  had  Continued  but  ever  so 
little  longer  in  the  places  where  they  were,  would  have  been 
in  Eminent  hazard  of  Immediate  Death,  whither  by  the  Thun- 
der, which  struck  very  near  those  places  with  a  dreadful 
force  and  Effects;  Or  by  the  fall  of  pieces  of  Timber  from  the 
roof,  30  large  and  long,  as  might  have  crushed  many  to  Death 
at  once,  or  at  least,  made  them  Cripples  for  their  whole 
lives. 

So  narrowly  have  we  Escaped;  so  signally  did  providence 
Exert  itself  for  our  preservation.  *  *  * 

THIRDLY.     I    shall   put   you   upon    Sympathizing  with   the 


THE   PREACHER.  93 

more  Immediate  Sufferers  and  especially  with  them,  who  have 
been  so  Awfully  bereaved.  We,  who  have  Escaped  better, 
should  bear  a  tender  regard  to  them  who  have  fared  worse; 
We  might  have  been  in  their  places  and  they  in  ours 
had  it  so  pleased  God.  *  *  *  Their  wounds  and  sores  and 
bruises  and  Lameness,  should,  in  sort,  be  felt  by  each  of  us 
and  we  should  be  ready  to  do  all  manner  of  good  oflSces  about 
them.  And,  I  bless  God,  that  there  is  no  manner  of  reason  of 
Complaint  of  any  backwardness  on  this  Score. 

But  what  shall  we  say  to,  or  do  for  our  dear  Friends,  that 
have  been  Called  to  part  with,  a  near  and  dear  Relation,  in 
Bo  awful  and  solemn  manner? 

Perhaps,  it  would  but  aggravate  grief,  to  observe  that  he 
was  a  very  promising  and  desirable  youth.  One  that  had  Es- 
caped more  Untainted  in  his  Manners,  in  this  dangerous  time. 
One  that  by  his  Discreet  Conduct  had  recommended  himself 
to  everyones  Esteem,  and  that  none  had  any  Evil  thing  to  say 
of  him.   Just  arrived  at  his  Freedom.  *  *  * 

The  good  Lord  make  up  to  you  this  Loss  in  Spiritual  and 
better  blessings  and  give  you  "a  name  better  than  that  of 
Sons  and  Daughters."  *  *  * 

The  Lord  prepare  us.  Every  one,  for  our  Dissolution,  at 
what  time,  and  in  what  manner  soever  it  may  come,  that  then 
we  "may  be  found  of  him  in  peace." 

FOURTHLY.  I  shall  invite  and  press  you.  Every  one,  to 
make  that  wise  and  good  Improvement  of  this  providence, 
which  our  heavenly  Father  now  Expects.  *    *    * 

Shall  we  not  think  now  Everyone  of  us,  What  if  it  had  been 
our  Lot  to  have  been  struck  dead  at  once  in  that  awful  Day, 
when  Death  was  so  very  Near  us?  What  condition  should 
we  have  been  in?  Was  our  peace  made  with  God?  Had  we 
gotten  an  Interest  in  Jesus  Christ?  Was  there  no  guilt  lying 
Unpardoned  upon  our  Souls?  If  so,  we  should  then  only  have 
been  hastened  a  little  sooner  into  the  presence  of  our  Re- 
deemer, and  ascended  as  in  a  "Chariot  of  fire."  into  the  re- 
gion of  the  blessed;  But  if  we  had  been  "yet  in  our  Sins,  Un- 
regenerate.  Unconverted,"  "Alienated  from  the  life  of  God,  Ser- 


f 


94        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

vants  to  diverse  Lusts  and  pleasures,"  it  would  have  been  a 
dreadful  stroke  indeed  upon  us,  We  should  have  gone  from 
one  fire  to  a  worse,  and  it  had  been  "good  for  us  that  we  had 
never  been  born;"  Methinks  every  profane  Sinner,  when  he 
remembers  it,  may  yet  tremble  at  his  very  Narrow  Escape, 
to  think  how  near  he  was  to  his  being  past  all  hope  and 
help  and  remedy.  Well,  now  we  are  all  spared  a  little  Longer 
and  have  a  little  more  time  to  think  and  to  "set  our  souls  in 
Order,"  if  we  have  but  the  heart  to  do  it.  And  surely  the 
loud  Call,  which  we  have  had  from  heaven,  should  be  suffi- 
cient to  rowze  us;  Shall  we  still  put  off  and  Delay?  *  *  * 

Wherefore  now  especially  since  we  have  been  under  such 
Awakening  Dispensation. 

1.  Let  us  Every  one  reform  what  hath  been  amiss  in  our 
Conduct  and  testify  against  Sin  in  Others.  *  *  * 

2.  Let  us  set  our  selves  Carefully  to  practice,  the  great 
Duties  of  righteousness  and  mercy,  which  would  make  us 
blessings  in  our  places  and  useful  to  all  that  are  about  us. 
*  *  * 

3.  Let  us  live  in  the  Use  of  the  Instrumental  Duties  of  re- 
ligion which  are  Designed  to  bring  us  to  the  Love  of  God  and 
our  Neighbor  and  use  them  as  means  for  this  farther  end. 

Such  as  reading,  hearing,  meditating.  Examining  our  selves, 
and  attending  upon  the  Ordinances  of  the  Gospel.  *  *  * 

Get  alone,  frequently,  by  your  selves,  to  think  what  Condi- 
tion you  are  in  and  "what  you  must  do  to  be  Saved,"  to  call 
yourselves  to  a  strict  Account  and  accomplish  a  most  dili- 
gent Search.  *  *  * 

And  shall  I  not  prevail  that  the  Sanctuary  may  be  more  fre- 
quented? Let  no  persons  place  be  empty,  when  God  gives 
you  an  opportunity  to  be  present,  that  you  may  not  miss  of 
any  good  for  your  Souls.  *  *  * 

Farther,  Why  do  so  many  Live  so  long  without  Baptism 
for  themselves,  or  for  their  Children?  "Arise  and  be  Baptized 
and  wash  away  your  Sins  calling  upon  the  Name  of  the  Lord." 

And  why  do  More  Live  in  the  Neglect  of  the  Lord's  Supper? 


THE   PREACHER.  95 

As  if  he  had  never  said  to  us,  "Do  this  in  remembrance  of 
me."  *  *  * 

4.  Let  us  see  to  it,  that  the  saving  change  of  Conversion 
be  wrought  upon  us;  Let  us  not  be  able  to  rest,  till  we  can 
find  that  it  is  happily  begun.  *  *  * 

To  Conclude,  We  have  heard  that  a  Work  of  God  hath  been 
happily  begun  and  carried  on,  in  some  parts  of  the  Country: 
People,  in  a  general  way,  being  greatly  Concerned  for  the 
Everlasting  welfare  of  their  Souls;  It  may  be  the  Lord  means 
good  unto  Us  also  (When  will  he  think  upon  us!)  and  begins 
with  this  Terrible  Stroke.  For  there  was  need  of  something 
very  Awakening  to  Rouze  us  out  of  that  deep  Security,  into 
which  many  of  us  were  fallen.  But  this  alone  will  not  do; 
It  may  startle  and  make  us  tremble,  but  we  shall  soon  get 
over  it  and  return  again  to  folly,  unless  the  Lord  please  to 
send  down  his  Effectual  grace,  to  pour  out  the  Spirit  of  grace 
and  Supplication  to  Accompany  it.  *  *  * 

We  have  had  Earthquakes  among  us,  a  while  since,  which 
have  rent  the  Mountains,  And  though  some  were  Awakened 
thereby  to  greater  Seriousness,  Yet  too  many  remained  Un- 
affected; We  have  had  a  Violent  Wind  this  present  year,  that 
hath  born  down  Buildings,  Trees  and  the  Fruits  of  the  Earth 
before  it;  And  now  we  in  this  place  have  been  Encompassed 
with  this  Terrible  Fire; 

But  all  will  not  do  for  the  Amendment  of  our  Hearts  and 
Lives,  if  the  Lord  be  not  in  them;  Oh!  That  he  would  please 
to  utter  the  still,  small  Voice,  which  shall  silently  and  sweetly, 
Yet  powerfully  Transform  us  all  into  the  divine  Image.  *  *  * 

The  Lord  knows  how  to  soften  the  hardest  hearts.  Enlighten 
the  blindest  mind,  and  turn  Even  the  worst  of  Sinners  into 
Eminent  Saints;  Turn  us  and  we  shall  be  turned.  Heal  us  and 
we  shall  be  healed,  for  thou  are  the  Lord  our  God. 

We  have  chosen  this  sermon  from  which  to  make 
the  most  copious  extracts,  both  on  account  of  the 
sermon  itself,  and  the  remarkable  occasion  which 
called  it  forth.     More  than  any  other  which  was 


96         LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

published  this  represents  the  pastor  appealing  to 
his  people  and  setting  home  the  truth  upon  their 
aroused  consciences  with  pungent  force.  Besides 
in  it  is  to  be  found  the  narration  of  the  scenes  which 
took  place  in  the  church  on  that  memorable  occas- 
ion, which  called  it  forth,  as  told  by  an  eye-witness. 
The  pen  of  history  has  recorded  the  event,  and  the 
destruction  which  it  wrought  upon  the  meeting- 
house. But  it  was  left  to  the  pen  of  Mr.  Adams 
to  describe  the  scene  of  terror  which  prevailed  in 
the  stricken  congregation.  This  and  the  entry  in 
Mr.  Hempstead's  diary,  quoted  in  a  previous  chap- 
ter, are  the  only  narrations  extant  told  by  eye-wit- 
nesses. This  sermon  also  gives  us  an  idea  of  Mr. 
Adams'  style  and  power  as  a  preacher.  It  is  a 
study  in  homiletics.  First  the  line  of  thought  in 
the  discussion  of  his  theme  was  carefully  planned. 
Next  he  stuck  to  his  theme  and  his  text,  which  was 
not  merely  a  motto ;  it  was  the  source  of  the  whole 
discussion.  He  was  clear  and  logical  as  a  thinker. 
His  scope  of  thought  was  broad.  It  was  not  diffi- 
cult to  understand  what  he  meant  to  say. 

As  a  theologian  he  was  a  Calvinist,  as  is  evident 
from  the  sermon  just  quoted.  He  was  an  earnest, 
faithful  preacher,  who  sought  to  reach  the  hearts 
of  his  people,  and  turn  them  unto  God.  He  evi- 
dently held  to  the  view  set  forth  in  Job,  that  strik- 
ing and  startling  events,  as  well  as  great  afflictions 
are  chastisements  sent  from  God.  Certainly  this 
church,  in  the  days  of  this  pastorate  did  not  lack 
for  plain,  pungent,  scriptural  preaching.     Nor  was 


A 

S  ER  M  ON 

Preached  on  the  Occafion 

Of    the    EXECUTION 

OF 

Katheriae    Garret, 

an  3nD<att*Scrvant, 

Who  was  Condemned  for  the 

of  her  ^pUtiOttS  C|)ill>,  ) 

On  /^ij  3'-  »  7  ?  *• 
To  wbich  IS  Added  Icmc  (hott  Account  of 

htr  Behaviour  after  her  CondcoutttiOB. 
Together  with  ^erD,ing   WARNING 

.       and  EXHORTATION* 

Left  under  her  own  Hmd. 

'"liX.  0  Nd'o  N,  Piinud  &  Sold  bj  T.  G  R  K  B  H. 

5  7  3  ^t 


THE   PREACHER.  97 

Mr.  Adams  afraid  to  call  things  by  their  right 
names.  His  people  were  instructed  in  sound  doc- 
trine. The  pulpit  is  the  preacher's  throne  of  power, 
and  Eliphalet  Adams  was  equal  to  the  responsibility 
put  upon  him  by  his  sacred  calling. 

May  3,  1738,  Mr.  Adams  preached  the  sermon 
at  the  execution  of  Catherine  Garret.  Mr.  Hemp- 
stead made  this  entry  in  his  diary.  ''Wednsd  3d 
[May  1738]  fair.  In  foren  I  was  at  lecture  to  hear 
funeral  sermon  pr  by  Mr.  Adams,  after  at  Town- 
hill  to  see  Kate  ye  Indian  woman  hanged  for  mur- 
dering her  bastard  Infant  at  Saybrook  half  year." 
The  text  of  the  sermon  was  Proverbs  28:  17.  "A 
man  that  doth  Violence  to  the  blood  of  any  person, 
shall  flee  to  the  pit.  Let  no  man  stay  him."  The 
propositions  defended  by  the  preacher  were  as  fol- 
lows :  "First.  That  when  persons  have  been  guilty 
of  Doing  Violence  to  the  blood  of  others,  too  of- 
ten there  are  Endeavors  used,  to  screen  them 
from  the  punishment  which  they  have  Justly  De- 
served. Secondly.  That  this  is  by  no  means  fit 
to  be  done  and  people  should  be  strictly  Cautioned 
against  it.  Thirdly.  That  Death  is  the  Just  pun- 
ishment to  be  Inflicted  upon  such  persons,  who 
have  been  guilty  of  doing  Violence  to  the  blood  of 
others."  As  will  be  inferred  from  these  proposi- 
tions, the  sermon  was  a  defence  of  capital  punish- 
ment. Such  sentences  as  the  following  leave  no 
room  to  doubt  the  preacher's  views.  "They  must 
be  Dispatch'd  out  of  the  world  in  all  convenient 
haste ;  There  shou'd  be  no  waiting  till  Death  comes 


98        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

in  the  form  of  some  Distemper  or  Accident,  and 
doth  the  work.  *  ^  *  No,  Violence  they  have 
used,  and  with  Violence  they  must  be  Dispatched 
out  of  the  world."  The  sermon  closes  with  the  us- 
ual "improvement,"  and  an  address  to  the  prisoner. 
This  custom  of  having  a  sermon  preached  at  the 
execution  of  a  criminal,  condemned  to  death,  was 
continued  till  the  close  of  the  century,  when  Rev. 
Henry  Channing  preached  on  a  similar  occasion. 
The  custom  seems  to  us  strange  and  uncanny.  The 
very  hideousness  of  it  doubtless  brought  it  to  an 
end.  While  those  who  are  to  suffer  the  extreme 
penalty  of  the  law  for  crime,  should  have  spiritual 
instruction,  it  does  not  seem  quite  the  thing  to 
preach  a  man's  funeral  sermon  to  an  audience  in 
which  he  sits  as  a  listener. 

Other  sermons  are  preserved,  as  for  example  that 
preached  in  commemoration  of  his  wife,  that 
preached  on  the  death  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Bulk- 
eley  of  Colchester,  and  that  preached  on  the  death 
of  Governor  Saltonstall.  These  productions  of  his 
pen  which  have  come  down  to  us  prove  that  Mr. 
Adams  stood  easily  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  best 
preachers  of  his  day. 


IV. 

THK   ministry   of   ElylPHALKT  ADAMS. — THK 
GREAT   AWAKENING. 


The  Great  Awakening  was  a  violent  rebound 
from  the  low  spiritual  state  to  which  the  churches 
of  New  England  had  lapsed.  The  last  half  of  the 
seventeenth  and  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
turies had  been  marked  by  an  ever  deepening  inten- 
sity of  spiritual  darkness.  The  early  fathers  of  New 
England  were  ''strict  in  doctrine,  in  discipline,  and 
in  practice."  They  were  sound  in  the  faith,  exem- 
plary in  their  walk,  strict  in  their  morals,  and  emi- 
nent for  experimental  religion.  A  gentleman  of 
eminent  character,  who  had  lived  in  New  England 
in  the  early  days,  testified  that  he  never  heard  an 
oath  nor  saw  a  person  intoxicated.  The  churches 
were  like  their  founders.  From  1630  to  1660  has 
been  called  the  golden  age  of  New  England.  Pun- 
chard  says  [Hist.  Congsm,  Vol.  V.  p.  480]  all  the 
early  years  of  our  colonial  life  were  essentially  re- 
vival years ;  not  so  called  by  the  fathers,  but  really 
and  truly  such,  judged  by  their  fruits ;  for  they  were 
years  of  most  extraordinary  consecration  and  devo- 
tion of  Christian  people  to  God,  attended  by  the 


100      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

continued  increase  of  their  number  by  conversions 
from  the  world.  And  this  was  the  state  of  things 
in  New  England  for  nearly  or  quite  an  entire  gener- 
ation." 

Soon  after  1660,  there  were  visible  signs  of  relig- 
ious declension.  Those  who  succeeded  the  found- 
ers were  less  zealous,  less  strict  in  morals,  less  strict 
in  doctrine,  less  conspicuous  for  piety.  There  was 
good  and  sound  preaching,  a  good  degree  of  peace 
and  order  in  the  churches,  but  their  condition 
alarmed  the  men  who,  like  Increase  Mather  and 
others,  had  the  interests  of  God's  kingdom  at 
heart.  There  were  revivals  in  a  few  places,  but  no 
general  awakening  for  many  years.  In  Northamp- 
ton, Mass.,  there  were  several  seasons  of  renewed 
spiritual  life,  which  Mr.  Stoddard  called  his  har- 
vests. In  1721  the  town  of  Windham,  Conn.,  was 
visited  by  a  work  of  grace,  imder  the  labors  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Whiting,  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Adams, 
which  resulted  in  gathering  into  the  church  about 
eighty  persons.  In  1719  and  1721  the  church  in 
New  London  seems  to  have  enjoyed  more  than  us- 
iial  religious  interest.  But  none  of  these  revivals 
were  of  the  sort  that  grow  out  of  a  deep  conviction 
of  sin.  Little  permanent  change  was  wrought  in 
the  religious  condition  of  the  town.  And  we  may 
suppose  that  the  same  dearth,  which  was  felt  here, 
prevailed  throughout  New  England.  One  of  the 
evidences  of  this  decline  was,  a  wide  departure  from 
the  standards  of  admission  to  the  church  announced 
by  Thomas  Hooker,  John  Davenport  and  others, 


THE  GREAT  AWAKENING.  101 

who  insisted  upon  an  experience  of  renewing  grace 
as  an  essential  condition  of  admission  to  the  church. 
It  was  from  the  low  state  of  spiritual  life,  which 
resulted  from  these  loose  practices  of  admission  to 
the  church,  that  the  Great  Awakening  was  a  re- 
bound. 

The  immediate  cause  of  the  Awakening  was  the 
preaching  of  three  sermons  by  Edwards,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1734,  upon  Justification  by  Faith,  in  which  he 
insisted  on  the  duty  and  need  of  immediate  repen- 
tance. This  was  in  direct  opposition  to  the  prevail- 
ing doctrine  of  justification  by  works.  His  pres- 
entation of  the  guilt  of  sin  was  in  open  and  violent 
contrast  to  the  prevailing  view,  and  men  were 
alarmed.  The  clear  and  definite  setting  forth  of  the 
absolute  necessity  of  a  change  of  heart,  and  faith 
in  Jesus  Christ,  unto  salvation,  startled  the  relig- 
ious world,  and  led  professed  Christians  to  look 
more  carefully  into  the  ground  of  their  hope.  The 
examination  often  caused  alarming  doubts  about  its 
reality. 

Fully  to  appreciate  the  force  of  this  great  relig- 
ious movement,  and  the  low  and  alarming  spiritual 
conditions  in  the  churches  at  the  time  when  it  be- 
gan, we  need  to  note  some  of  the  causes  which 
helped  to  bring  about  this  state  of  religious  dearth. 

I.  One  was  the  state  of  conflict  in  which  the  col- 
onies were,  almost  constantly,  for  nearly  three 
fourths  of  a  century.  New  London  was  the  princi- 
pal seaport  of  this  colony,  and  its  peace  was  often 
disturbed  by  the  rude  alarms  of  war.     Either  hostile 


102      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

fleets  threatened,  or  soldiers  were  encamped  here 
previous  to  embarking  for  the  scenes  of  strife,  and 
New  London's  sons  were  among  them. 

2.  Internal  dissensions  between  the  colonies, 
boundary  disputes  which  dragged  their  slow  length 
through  many  years,  and  the  ambitious  designs  of 
Dudley  to  bring  Connecticut,  and  all  New  England, 
under  his  control,  were  not  conducive  to  that  peace 
which  is  favorable  to  the  deepest  religious  exper- 
iences, 

3.  The  planting  of  churches  of  other  faiths  in 
the  colonies,  on  ground  preempted  by  Puritan  Con- 
gregationalism, was  another  cause  operating  to 
call  the  attention  of  men  away  from  the  supreme 
things  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  turn  their  minds 
to  the  discussion  of  the  minor  and  irrelevant  ques- 
tions of  forms,  and  ceremonies,  and  ecclesiastical 
polities.  The  effort  to  plant  Episcopal  churches 
created  great  alarm,  especially  in  Connecticut.  For 
Dr.  Cutler  and  Rev.  Messrs.  Johnson,  Punderson, 
Seabury  and  others,  having  gone  over  to  the  Church 
of  England,  there  was  a  belief  that  there  was  a 
conspiracy  among  some  of  the  prominent  clergy- 
men to  follow  them,  and  take  the  people  of  Con- 
necticut with  them. 

This  alarm  was  really  groundless,  for  the  only 
mission  of  the  Propagation  Society  in  Connect- 
icut, for  twenty  years,  was  at  Stamford ;  and  that 
was  not  gathered  out  of  converts  from  the  Congre- 
gational churches,  but  was  "undertaken  chiefly  for 
the  benefit  of   recent  emigrants   *  *  *   who  were 


THE    GREAT  AWAKENING.  103 

already  Episcopalians."  [Hist.  Christ  Ch.  Guilford 
Ct.  p.  17.]  Johnson  said,  and  there  is  no  reason 
to  doubt  his  word,  "I  never  once  tried  to  proselyte 
dissenters,  nor  do  I  believe  any  of  the  other  minis- 
ters did."  Besides  all  this,  as  late  as  1733,  there 
were  but  fifteen  churches  of  the  Episcopal  order  in 
all  the  New  England  Colonies,  where  there  were 
two  hundred  and  sixty  Congregational  churches, 
with  twenty  thousand  members.  There  were  only 
twenty-two  Baptist  churches  in  Massachusetts  and 
Rhode  Island. 

But,  whether  with  or  without  reason,  the  church- 
es were  alarmed.  Episcopacy,  from  which  the  early 
settlers  had  seceded,  was  invading  a  field  which 
Congregationalism  had  preempted.  It  represented 
a  practice  against  which  early  Congregationalism 
was  a  vehement  protest.  It  admitted  to  church 
privileges  those  whom  the  early  fathers  excluded. 
This,  says  Dr.  Andrews,  [Hist.  Christ  Ch.  Guilford 
p.  24,]  ''abundantly  justified  the  Propagation  So- 
ciety in  planting  missions  in  this  Christian  colony." 
Whether  or  not  the  planting  of  these  churches 
helped  to  fix  on  Congregational  churches  the  prac- 
tice of  the  halfway  covenant  we  do  not  know,  but 
it  seems  certain  that  the  growth  of  sentiment  in  its 
favor,  throughout  the  colonies,  was  the  opportunity 
which  was  favorable  to  the  establishment  of  mis- 
sions of  the  Church  of  England.  At  any  rate  the 
theory  voiced  by  Hooker  that  'Visible  saints  only 
are  fit  matter  appointed  by  God  to  make  up  a  vis- 
ible Church  of  Christ,"  was  on  the  decline.     "Per- 


104       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

sonally  regenerate  character"  soon  largely,  if  not 
entirely,  ceased  to  be  an  essential  requisite  for 
church  membership. 

The  feeling  was  deep  that  the  planting  of  Episco- 
pal churches  was  an  intrusion.  Disputes  arose 
which  were  prolonged,  and  prosecuted  with  heat. 
There  were  defections  from  the  Congregational 
churches.  These  disputes  and  defections  diverted 
men's  minds  from  the  more  vital  things  of  spiritual 
life.  Increase  Mather  wrote  before  his  death  in 
1723,  "there  is  a  grievous  decay  of  piety  in  the  land 
and  a  leaving  of  the  first  love,  and  the  beauties  of 
holiness  are  not  to  be  seen  as  they  once  were.  The 
very  interest  of  New  England  seems  to  be  changed 
from  a  religious  to  a  worldly  one."  This  feeling 
had  long  been  shared  by  the  leading  ministers  of 
New  England.  In  1714  the  legislature  of  Con- 
necticut requested  Governor  Saltonstall  "to  recom- 
mend to  the  ministers  to  inquire  strictly  into  the 
state  of  religion  in  every  parish  asking,  'what  are 
the  sins  and  evils  that  provoke  the  just  majesty  of 
heaven  to  walk  contrary  to  us  in  the  ways  of  His 
providence :  that  thereby  all  possible  means  may 
be  used  for  our  healing  and  recovery  from  our  de- 
generacy.' "  [Congregationalists  in  America,  p. 
233.]  If  the  enquiry  was  made  the  remedy  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  discovered.  Similar  synods 
had  been  held  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  previous 
century  with  like  results.  Nothing  seemed  able  to 
stop  the  decline.  In  171 5,  and  again  in  1725,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  persuade  the  Massachusetts 


THE   GREAT   AWAKENING.  105 

Legislature  "to  call  a  synod  to  seek  remedies  for  the 
low  state  of  religion."  But  the  effort  finally  failed 
through  the  opposition  of  Messrs.  Cutler  and  Miles, 
Episcopal  clergymen  of  Boston  whose  influence 
with  their  superiors  in  England  secured  the  inter- 
vention of  the  King,  so  that  the  synod  was  never 
held.  This  was  the  final  blow  to  all  hopes  of  reviv- 
ing the  spiritual  life  and  power  of  the  churches  by 
the  intervention  of  the  civil  authorities.  It  should 
be  said  here  that  the  introduction  of  churches  of 
other  orders  than  the  Congregational  wrought  this 
great  good,  namely,  it  led  to  the  abandonment  of  all 
hope  of  remedying  spiritual  evils  by  appeal  to  the 
civil  authorities,  stopped  the  drift  towards  an  eccles- 
iastical establishment,  and  so  did  not  a  little  to  pre- 
pare the  way  for  the  great  revival  which  followed 
not  many  years  after. 

4.  This  brings  us  to  another  cause  of  the  spirit- 
ual decline  which  preceded  the  Great  Awakening. 
It  is  the  civil  relation  in  which  the  church  stood  to 
the  state — in  Connecticut  till  1784,  when  the  Say- 
brook  Platform  ceased  to  be  the  established  order. 
The  legislature  was  a  sort  of  Congregational  pres- 
bytery. It  had  the  oversight  of  the  churches  ma- 
terially as  well  as  spiritually.  There  were  certain 
civil  rights  to  which  church  membership  was  essen- 
tial. In  Massachusetts  the  franchise,  and  the 
right  to  hold  office  were  limited  to  church  mem- 
bers. A  similar  limitation  existed  in  the  New 
Haven  Colony  as  late  as  1643.  This  restriction 
continued  till  the  union  of  New  Haven  with  Con- 


106      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

necticut  in  1664-5.  The  Cambridge  Platform  of 
1648  was  strong  on  this  point.  But  governmental 
control  of  the  afifairs  of  the  churches,  was  as  harmful 
in  New  England  in  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  as  it  had  been  a  century  before  in  old  Eng- 
land. 

5.  This  brings  us  to  the  last  cause  which  we 
shall  mention,  namely,  the  abandonment  of  the  or- 
iginal standard  of  church  membership  which  the 
Congregational  churches,  set  for  themselves,  and 
the  adoption  of  the  decision  of  the  synod  of  1662, 
that  persons  baptized  in  infancy,  ''understanding 
the  doctrine  of  faith,  and  publicly  professing  their 
assent  thereto ;  not  scandalous  in  life,  and  solemnly 
owning  the  covenant  before  the  church,  wherein 
they  give  up  themselves  and  their  children  to  the 
Lord,  and  subject  themselves  to  the  government 
of  Christ  in  the  church,  their  children  are  to  be 
baptized,"  though  the  parent  is  avowedly  unregen- 
erate.  [Great  Awaken,  p.  4.]  This  practice  soon 
became  general,  and  ended  by  admitting  such  per- 
sons to  the  Lord's  Table.  The  tendency  of  this 
practice  was  to  laxness  of  discipline,  to  low  views 
of  sin,  to  undue  exaltation  of  good  works,  to  re- 
gard a  radical  change  of  heart  as  not  essential.  The 
result  was  to  fill  the  churches  with  unconverted 
members,  and  to  introduce  into  the  pulpit,  men  who 
had  no  experience  of  renewing  grace.  The  differ- 
ence between  the  church  and  the  world  vanished 
rapidly,  and  the  spiritual  life  of  the  former  was  re- 
duced perillously  near  to  zero. 


THE   GREAT  AWAKENING.  107 

There  had  been  special  seasons  of  religious  in- 
terest in  the  churches.  But  these  had  not  been  at- 
tended by  any  deep  conviction  of  sin.  Mr.  Jona- 
than Parsons,  who  had  been  settled  at  Lyme  in 
1 73 1,  says  that  in  that  year  there  was  a  great  effu- 
sion of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  was  then  in  full  sym- 
pathy with  the  "Arminian  principles,"  as  they  were 
called.  To  use  his  own  words,  he  urged  the  people 
*'very  much  to  good  works."  He  persuaded  them 
to  "attend  upon  the  Lord's  Supper."  Large  num- 
bers did  so,  not  because  of  any  conviction  of  sin, 
but  under  the  notion  that  to  join  the  church  was  a 
meritorious  act.  What  was  going  on  in  Lyme, 
was  going  on  in  New  London  and  other  neighbor- 
ing towns.  There  is  no  reason  to  think  that  the 
special  religious  interest  which  appears  to  have  vis- 
ited this  church,  in  1719  and  1721,  was  any  more 
than  a  renewed  interest  in  correct  living. 

But  when  the  revival  broke  out  in  1740,  the  case 
was  dififerent.  An  unusual  sense  of  sin  took  hold 
of  professing  Christians.  Many  said  that  "they  had 
never  seen  so  much  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  and 
riches  of  his  grace,  nor  felt  so  much  of  the  power  of 
the  gospel  before."  Tracy  says  [Great  Awakening, 
p.  145,]  "Many  who  can  understand  how  sinners 
should  be  overcome  by  a  sense  of  danger,  will  be 
staggered  at  these  accounts  of  intense,  overpower- 
ing emotion  in  Christians."  The  secret  is  not  far 
to  find.  Previous  revivals  were  like  the  breeze, 
ivhich  ripples  the  sea.     This  was  the  wind  of  God 


108      LATER   HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

which   drives  in  the  mighty  waves,  and   stirs  the 
ocean  to  its  depths. 

TninibiiU  says  that  the  work  was  more  powerful 
in  Connecticut  than  in  Boston.  He  names  among 
the  men  actively  interested  in  this  revival  in  this 
colony.  Whitman  of  Hartford,  \\'illiams  of  Leban- 
on, Owen  of  Grot  on,  Robbins  of  Brandford,  Bel- 
lamy of  Bethlehem.  "But  the  most  zealous  and  la- 
borious in  the  cause,  who  took  most  pains,  and 
spent  the  most  property  in  the  ser^-ice  of  the  mas- 
ter, were  Rev.  Messrs.  Jedediah  Mills,  Benjamin 
Pomeroy,  Eleazer  Wheelock,  and  Joseph  Bellamy.*' 
The  name  of  ^Ir.  Adams  does  not  appear  on  the  list, 
but  this  does  not  prove  that  he  was  not  interested 
and  in  sympathy  with  the  great  w^ork.  He  seems 
to  have  been  a  less  demonstrative  man.  The  facts 
here  stated  show  the  atmosphere  by  which  the 
church  in  New  London  was  surrounded.  It  was 
like  the  air,  surcharged  with  electricity,  which  needs 
but  a  touch  to  produce  the  explosion. 

The  hand  of  Gilbert  Tennent  seems  to  have  qiven 
the  needful  touch  in  Xew  London  on  the  30th  of 
March,  1741.  He  first  appeared  here  on  that  date 
and  preached  three  sermons,  and  four  on  the  day 
following,  which  seem  to  have  set  in  motion  the 
wheels  of  beryl  under  the  throne.  Hempstead  re- 
cords in  his  diary,  under  date  of  ^March  30.  'T  was 
*  *  *  at  Lecture,  ^ir.  Gilbert  Tennent  pr.  3  ser- 
mons. I  began  at  n.  [noon]  and  i  at  3  and  one  at 
7  by  candlelight."  The  audiences  were  large.  The 
next  day  he  preached  four  sermons,  to  still  larger 


THE   GREAT   AWAKENING.  109 

audiences,  ''i  in  foren,  i  at  3  of  the  clock,  2  in  ye 
night  by  candleUght."  People  came  "from  the 
farms  as  well  as  Town  and  Groton."  From  New 
London  Mr.  Tennent  went  to  Niantic  the  next  day, 
April  I,  followed  by  numbers  who  had  heard  him 
here.  Mr.  Hempstead,  who  went  himself,  makes 
record  of  the  fact.  The  same  scenes  were  repeated 
there,  which  had  taken  place  in  New  London. 

The  impression  was  deep  and  abiding.  People 
were  profoundly  moved  by  the  presentation  of  the 
truth.  The  foundation  of  good  works  on  which 
so  many  had  been  standing  gave  way  beneath  their 
feet.  ^Meetings  were  frequent.  Audiences  were 
large,  attentive,  and  devout.  May  19th  the  children 
of  the  town  were  assembled  together,  and  short  ser- 
mons were  preached  to  them,  suited  to  their  com- 
prehension. Neighboring  pastors  came  to  the  as- 
sistance of  Mr.  Adams.  Toward  the  end  of  the 
month  of  May,  what  used  to  be  known  as  a  pro- 
tracted meeting  was  held.  Sermons  were  preached 
by  Mr.  Adams  and  by  Mr.  Mills  of  Derby  and  Mr. 
Eells  of  Stonington,  who  had  come  to  his  assistance. 
Mr.  Hempstead  wTote  in  his  diary  June  6,  "the 
whole  week  hath  been  kept  as  a  Sabbath,  and  with 
the  greatest  success  imaginable.  Never  was  any 
such  time  here  and  scarce  anywhere  else.  The 
wonderful  works  of  God  have  been  made  evident 
in  the  powerful  conviction  and  conversion  of  di- 
verse persons,  in  an  extraordinary  manner."  The 
state  of  societv  was  verv  much  renovated.  As  a 
result  of  this  movement  eighty-two,  whose  names 


110      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

are  on  the  list  of  members,  were  received  into  the 
church  in  1741,  besides  several,  as  we  have  seen,  of 
whom  the  entry  is  made,  that  they  made  profession 
of  the  Christian  faith,  entered  into  covenant  with 
God,  and  were  baptized,  which  must  be  understood 
as  joining  the  church.  They  were  principally  re- 
ceived in  May,  June,  July  and  August. 

As  is  frequently  the  case  this  great  blessing  met 
with  serious  drawbacks.  Trumbull  says  [Vol.  II, 
p.  126,]  "this  glorious  work  of  God,  which  had  ef- 
fected such  a  wonderful  reformation  of  manners 
throughout  the  country,  was  marred  and  greatly 
injured  by  many  imprudences  and  irregularities ; 
and  w^as  most  violently  opposed  by  ministers,  by 
magistrates,  by  cruel  and  persecuting  laws,  by  re- 
proach and  misrepresentations,  and  all  other  ways 
and  means  which  its  adversaries  could  invent." 
It  met  with  fierce  antagonism  throughout  New 
England.  The  final  result  to  Edwards  was,  dis- 
missal from  his  church,  June  22,  1750.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  council,  called  to  consider  the  case, 
were  in  sympathy  with  the  church,  who  still  held 
to  the  view  that  the  Lord's  Supper  is  a  saving  or- 
dinance. No  trouble  so  serious  and  radical  awaited 
Mr.  Adams,  but  opposition  of  another  sort  was  in 
the  air,  and  broke  out  into  open  expression,  as  we 
shall  presently  see. 

It  will  be  helpful  to  pause  a  moment  to  note  the 
state  of  the  religious  atmosphere  in  all  the  churches. 
In  Boston,  while  some  men,  like  Mr.  Prince,  the 
junior  pastor  of  the  Old  South  Church,  and  Mr. 


THE   GREAT   AWAKENING.  Ill 

Cooper  of  the  Brattle  Street  Church,  gave  the  re- 
vival their  unqualified  approval,  others  were  equally 
pronounced  in  their  opposition.  Among  these  lat- 
ter clergymen  was  Dr.  Cutler,  the  former  rector  of 
Yale  College,  but  now  an  Episcopal  clergyman  in 
Boston.  Dr.  Charles  Chauncey,  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  led  the  Congregationalists  who  opposed  the 
great  work.  He  published  a  book  entitled,  Sea- 
sonable Thoughts  on  the  State  of  Religion  in  New 
England,  which  was  intended  faithfully  to  point 
"out  the  things  of  a  bad  and  dangerous  tendency 
in  the  late  and  present  religious  appearance  in  the 
land."  An  opposition  thus  led  was  bound  to  gath- 
er force. 

This  hostility  spread  into  Connecticut,  where  was 
direct  opposition,  of  the  leading  churches  and  their 
pastors,  on  the  one  hand,  and  divisions  on  the  other 
hand,  which  issued  in  the  Separate  movement. 
One  of  the  first  acts  of  direct  opposition  was  aimed 
at  the  practice  of  itinerating,  or  "going  abroad,  and 
preaching  and  administering  the  seals  in  another 
parish,  without  consent  of  the  minister  of  the  par- 
ish." In  1 741  certain  ministers  in  and  near  New 
Haven  secured  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  call- 
ing a  convention  at  Guilford,  "to  consist  of  three 
ministers  and  three  lay  delegates  from  each  associa- 
tion." A  meeting  was  held  in  New  London  to 
choose  delegates  to  that  convention  from  this  asso- 
ciation. Mr.  Hempstead  in  his  diary  makes  the  fol- 
lowing record  alluding  to  this  matter.  "Nov.  17, 
1741.     I  went  to  see  the  ministers  and  messengers 


112      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

of  the  Several  Societys  in  the  County  met  here  at  the 
Courthouse  to  choose  Delegates  to  send  to  a  Grand 
Council  to  be  held  at  Guilford  ye  Next  Week  3  min- 
isters and  3  messengers  to  go  from  each  association 
in  the  colony  to  consider  what  may  be  thought  most 
Expedient  to  be  done  with  Reference  to  the  Travel- 
ing ministers  which  in  some  places  promote  the 
withdrawing  from  the  Settled  ministers  and  set  up 
Separate  meetings,  etc."  This  body  met  at  Guilford 
November  24.  To  it  the  question  was  proposed 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Whittlesey  of  Wallingford,  whether 
such  itinerating  were  disorderly.  It  was  voted  in 
the  affirmative.  At  the  session  of  May,  1742,  the  legis- 
lature enacted  the  above  vote  into  a  statute,  mak- 
ing it  a  penal  ofifence  for  one  minister  to  go  into  the 
parish  of  another  without  being  invited  by  him,  to 
preach  the  gospel,  and  administer  the  seals.  This 
prohibition  held  against  exhorters,  or  lay  preachers. 
The  last  section  provided  [Tracy  p.  305]  "that  if  any 
foreigner  or  stranger,  that  is  not  an  inhabitant  of 
this  colony,  including  as  well  such  persons  as  have 
no  ecclesiastical  character  or  license  to  preach,  as 
such  as  have  received  ordination  or  license  to 
preach  by  any  association  or  presbytery,  shall  pre- 
sume to  preach,  teach,  or  publicly  exhort  in  any 
town  or  society  within  the  colony,  without  the  de- 
sire and  license  of  the  settled  minister  and  major 
part  of  the  church  of  such  town  or  society,  or  at  the 
call  and  desire  of  the  church  and  inhabitants  of 
such  town  or  society,  provided  that  it  so  happen 
that  there  be  no  settled  minister  there ;  that  every 


THE   GREAT  AWAKENING.  113 

such  teacher  or  exhorter  shall  be  sent,  as  a  vagrant 
person,  by  warrant  from  any  assistant  or  justice  of 
the  peace,  from  constable  to  constable,  out  of  the 
bounds  of  this  colony."  What  ministers  composed 
the  association  at  Guilford  is  not  known.  It  left 
no  record  of  its  doings,  nor  do  we  know  anything 
about  the  conclusions  which  it  reached,  except  from 
the  law  which  the  Colonial  Legislature  enacted  the 
next  spring,  1742,  in  obedience  to  their  suggestion* 
It  was  aimed  at  such  men  as  James  Davenport,  Gil- 
bert Tennent  and  Whitefield,  but  it  reached  farther, 
and  abridged  the  civil  rights  of  some  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  Connecticut.  Trumbull  well  says  that  it 
was  *'an  outrage  to  every  principle  of  justice,  and 
to  the  most  inherent  and  valuable  rights  of  the  sub- 
ject. It  was  a  palpable  contradiction,  and  gross 
violation,  of  the  Connecticut  bill  of  rights,  *  *  *. 
This  law  was  contrary  to  the  opinion  and  practice 
of  all  the  reformers  and  Puritans.  *  *  *  Even  in 
Connecticut,  the  Episcopalians  were  allowed  to 
preach  and  collect  hearers,  and  erect  churches,  in 
any  of  the  ecclesiastical  societies,  in  opposition  to 
the  established  ministers  and  churches.  The  Bap- 
tists were  also  allowed  to  do  the  same."  The  law 
was  inconsistent,  persecuting,  and  a  manifestation 
of  the  exceedingly  strong  "opposition  of  heart, 
which  there  was  in  the  Arminians  and  old  lights, 
to  the  work  of  God,  and  to  the  zealous  and  faithful 
promoters  of  it."  In  1727  a  law  had  been  passed  au- 
thorizing the  Episcopalians  to  tax  themselves  for 
the  support  of  their  own  clergy,  and  excusing  them 


114      LATER  HISTORY   OP   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

from  being  taxed  for  the  support  of  the  estabUshed 
order.  In  1729  similar  privileges  were  granted  to 
the  Baptists,  but  the  act  of  1742  continued  to  bear 
with  unabated  force  upon  all  Congregationalists ; 
and  those  churches  which  were  organized  under  the 
Cambridge  Platform,  or  which  separated  from  the 
established  church  for  doctrinal,  or  other  reasons,  to 
form  Separate  churches,  were  liable  to  feel  the  grip 
of  the  law  till  1784,  when  the  legal  establishment 
of  the  Saybrook  Platform  was  repealed,  and  liberty 
was  granted  to  Christians  of  every  name. 

In  1742  the  legislature  advised  the  faculty  of  Yale 
College  to  guard  its  students  from  imbibing  the 
errors  of  the  Separatists,  and  to  expel  those  who  re- 
fused submission.  In  consequence  of  which  oc- 
curred some  notorious  cases  of  discipline.  June  15, 
1742,  the  General  Association  met  in  New  London, 
soon  after  the  passage  of  the  act  of  the  legislature 
referred  to  above.  Mr.  Adams  was  the  moderator. 
The  following  action  of  that  body  is  preserved  : 

"This  General  Association  being  of  opinion,  that  the 
God  of  all  grace  has  been  mercifully  pleased  to  remember  and 
visit  his  people,  by  stirring  up  great  numbers  among  us  to  a 
concern  for  their  souls,  and  to  be  asking  the  way  to  Zion, 
with  their  faces  thitherward,  which  we  desire  to  take  notice 
of  with  great  thankfulness  to  the  Father  of  mercies;  being 
also  of  opinion,  that  the  great  enemy  of  souls,  who  is  ever 
ready  with  his  devices  to  check,  damp  and  destroy  the  work  of 
God,  is  very  busy  for  that  purpose;  we  think  it  our  duty  to  ad- 
vise and  entreat  the  ministers  and  churches  of  this  colony, 
and  recommend  it  to  the  particular  associations,  to  stand  well 
upon  their  guard   in  such  a  day  as  this,  that  no  detriment  arise 


THE   GREAT  AWAKENING.  115 

to  the  interests  of  our  great  Lord  and  Master,  Jesus  Christ: 
Particularly  that  no  errors  in  doctrine,  whether  from  among 
ourselves  or  foreigners,  nor  disorders  in  practice,  do  get  in 
among  us,  or  tares  be  sown  in  the  Lord's  field:  That  season- 
able and  due  testimony  be  borne  against  such  errors  and  irreg- 
ularities as  do  already  prevail  among  some  persons;  as  par- 
ticularly the  depending  upon  and  following  impulses  and  im- 
pressions made  on  the  mind,  as  though  they  were  immediate 
revelations  of  some  truth  or  duty  that  is  not  revealed  in  the 
word  of  God;  laying  too  much  weight  on  bodily  agitations, 
raptures,  extasies,  visions,  etc.;  ministers  disorderly  intruding 
into  other  minister's  parishes;  laymen  taking  it  upon  them, 
in  an  unwarrantable  manner,  publicly  to  teach  and  exhort; 
rash  censuring  and  judging  others;  that  the  elders  be  careful 
to  take  heed  to  themselves  and  their  doctrine,  that  they  may 
save  themselves  and  those  that  hear  them;  that  they  approve 
themselves  in  all  things  as  ministers  of  God,  by  honor  and  dis- 
honor, by  good  report  and  evil  report;  that  none  be  lifted 
up  by  applause  to  a  vain  conceit,  nor  any  be  cast  down  by  any 
contempt  thrown  upon  them  to  the  neglect  of  their  work;  and 
that  they  study  unity,  love  and  peace  among  themselves. 

And  further,  that  they  endeavor  to  heal  the  unhappy  di- 
visions that  are  already  made  in  some  of  the  churches,  and 
that  the  like  may  for  the  future  be  prevented;  that  a  just 
deference  be  paid  to  the  laws  of  the  magistrate  lately  made 
to  suppress  disorders;  that  no  countenance  be  given  to  such 
as  trouble  our  churches,  who  are,  according  to  the  constitu- 
tion of  our  churches,  under  censure,  suspension,  or  deposi- 
tion for  errors  in  doctrine  or  life." 

It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  the  hand  of  Mr. 
Adams,  who  was  moderator  of  the  meeting,  was  in 
the  foregoing  minutes,  and  also  that  of  Mr.  Jewett. 
For  Davenport,  who,  like  Whitefield,  openly 
charged  the  ministers,  who  did  not  come  up  to  his 
standard  of  demonstrative  zeal,  with  being  uncon- 


116      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

verted,  had  publicly  expressed  the  opinion  that  Mr. 
Jewett  and  Mr.  Adams  had  never  been  subjects  of 
renewing  grace.  Later,  just  before  Whitefield  left 
Boston  in  1745,  the  General  Association  of  Con- 
necticut, expecting  that  he  would  pass  through  the 
colony  on  his  way  south,  voted  that  ''it  would  by 
no  means  be  advisable,  for  any  of  our  ministers,  to 
admit  him  into  their  pulpits  or  for  any  of  our  people 
to  attend  his  ministrations."  How  effective  this 
blow  was  we  do  not  know,  but  as  the  vote  of  the 
legislature,  making  it  a  crime  for  any  stranger  or 
foreigner,  or  other  person,  to  preach  in  another 
minister's  parish  without  his  consent,  was  behind 
the  suggestion,  we  may  believe  that  it  was  not 
wholly  without  effect.  However,  he  did  preach  in 
the  North  Parish,  and  in  New  London,  probably 
not  without  the  consent  and  invitation  of  Mr.  Jew- 
ett and  of  Mr.  Adams.  Later,  when  the  feelings 
against  him  had  subsided,  he  visited  New  London 
again ;  but  Mr.  Adams  had  been  dead  at  the  time, 
ten  years. 

The  consociation  of  New  Haven  met  September 
28,  1742,  and  voted  thanks  to  the  legislature  for 
passing  the  act  to  suppress  disorders,  and  prayed 
that  it  might  continue  in  force.  Emboldened  by 
this  moral  support  the  legislature  took  a  further 
step,  at  its  session  in  May,  1743,  and  "repealed  the 
act  for  the  relief  of  sober  consciences,  so  that  now 
there  was  no  relief  for  any  persons  dissenting  from 
the  established  mode  of  worship  in  Connecticut." 
The  intention  of  this  legislation  was  to  make  the 


THE  GREAT  AWAKENING.  117 

Saybrook  Platform  obligatory,  save  in  special  cases 
of  appeal,  by  conscientious  dissenters,  to  the  As- 
sembly, which  grew  more  rigid  in  enforcing  the  law. 
But  persons  who  had  distinguishing  characteristics 
"by  which  they  might  be  known,  as  distinct  from 
Presbyterians  and  Congregationalists,  might  expect 
the  indulgence  of  the  assembly,  upon  their  taking 
the  oaths  and  subscribing  the  declaration,  provided 
by  the  act  of  parliament,  in  the  cases  of  like  nature." 
[Trumbull,  Vol.  II,  p.  138.]  The  unrighteousness 
of  this  legislation  is  manifest.  It  was  a  blow 
aimed  at  all  Congregationalists  who  dissented 
from  the  established  order,  and  was  intended  to 
discount  the  fruits  of  the  Great  Awakening.  It  was 
quite  as  disorderly,  and  in  violation  of  the  bill  of 
rights,  as  for  an  orthodox  minister,  of  blameless  life, 
to  preach  within  the  limits  of  the  parish  of  a  brother 
minister  without  his  invitation  or  consent.  At- 
tempts to  enforce  this  legislation  proved  its  weak- 
ness and  injustice.  Baptists,  Separates  and  Epis- 
copalians planted  and  maintained  churches  in  the 
colony,  and  had  an  undoubted  right  to  do  so.  Ef- 
forts to  force  the  Saybrook  Platform  upon  the 
churches  were  arbitrary  and  unjust,  and  resulted  in 
the  prosecution  of  a  good  many  excellent  ministers 
and  strong  churches,  who  refused  to  be  governed 
by  it.  Preachers  were  put  out  of  associations  and 
consociations  because  of  their  zeal,  and  men  and 
women  were  suspended,  and  in  some  cases  exclud- 
ed from  church  privileges,  because  they  went  to 
hear  preachers  interdicted  by  the  law. 


118      LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

It  seemed  necessary  to  give  this  somewhat  ex- 
tended view  of  the  prevailing  reHgious  conditions  in 
Connecticut  in  order  more  thoroughly  to  under- 
stand the  unsettled  state  of  things  confronting  Mr. 
Adams.  It  is  probably  safe  to  say  that  neither  he 
nor  this  church  entered  into  the  revival  with  the 
zeal  which  actuated  some.  How  much  actual  op- 
position was  met  with  within  the  church,  we  do  not 
know.  Probably,  as  we  have  said,  Mr.  Adams  and 
the  majority  of  the  church  were  in  sympathy  with 
the  action  of  the  General  Association  in  1742.  And 
there  was  good  reason  why  they  should  be.  For 
on  the  other  hand,  there  was  the  opposition  of  those 
whose  zeal  outran  all  bounds  of  discretion  and  pru- 
dence, who  withdrew,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  to 
form  a  "New  Light"  church.  Outside  the  member- 
ship of  this  church  was  also  a  decided  hostility  to 
this  great  movement.  Dr.  Hallam  says  [Annals, 
p.  36]  ''the  position  of  the  minister  of  the  church 
[Saint  James]  under  these  circumstances  became 
dififtcult  and  embarrassing."  The  "circumstances" 
referred  to  were  the  "fanatical  performances"  of 
Davenport,  to  which  reference  will  be  made  farther 
on.  The  religious  interest,  as  elsewhere,  drew  lines 
of  cleavage.  Only  the  good  sense,  the  calm  judg- 
ment, and  the  peace-loving  character  of  Mr.  Adams 
saved  the  church  from  fatal  rupture,  and  caused  the 
Separate  movement  in  New  London  soon  to  spend 
itself.     Mr.  Adams  stood  between  two  fires. 

The  actual  conditions  were  bad  enough,  but  they 
might  have  been  worse.     Mr.   Parsons  of  Lyme, 


THE  GREAT  AWAKENING.  119 

who  preached  for  Mr.  Adams,  at  the  latter's  earn- 
est  request,  June  i6,  1741,  a  few  weeks  after  the 
beginning  of  the  reHgious  interest,  gives  a  graphic 
account  of  the  divisions  which  he  found  here,  so 
soon  after  the  work  of  grace  had  begun.  On  that 
occasion,  Mr.  Hempstead  tells  us,  he  preached 
three  sermons,  ''2  in  the  meeting  house,  and  i  att 
Mr.  Curtisses  in  the  evening."  Mr.  Parsons  had 
been  preaching  in  various  towns  in  the  county,  at 
the  request  of  the  pastors,  and  went  to  Norwich 
from  Ledyard,  to  spend  the  Sabbath,  June  14,  1741. 
The  next  day  he  preached  for  Mr.  Throop,  and 
planned  to  return  home,  ''as  fast  as  I  could,"  he 
says,  and  continues  "but  the  Rev.  Mr.  Adams  of 
New  London  sent  me  a  letter  desiring  that  I  would 
return  that  way,  and  give  his  people  some  exhorta- 
tions.  Having  been  there  before,  in  the  time  of  the 
concern  among  the  people,  I  was  unwilling  to  deny 
his  request,  because  I  found  that  there  were  peculiar 
difficulties  rising  up  and  I  feared  my  refusal  might 
rather  increase  them  than  otherwise.  There  was  a 
number  of  new  converts  with  a  flaming  zeal,  and 
jealous  lest  the  laborers  should  not  bear  a  propor- 
tion to  the  harvest ;  and  some  others,  from  what 
spring  I  do  not  say,  (though  some  have  imputed  it 
to  the  imprudence  of  these  new  converts),  who  op- 
posed themselves  to  the  work  going  on  among 
them.  Thus  the  kingdom  seemed  to  be  divided 
against  itself ; — and  I  was  rather  inclined  to  gratify 
the  venerable  Mr.  Adams  on  that  account,  not 
knowing  but  that  I  might  be  instrumental  of  some 


120      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

good  in  that  respect.  Accordingly  I  went  and  on 
June  i6th  preached  two  sermons  in  that  place,  be- 
sides using  some  private  endeavors  to  make  things 
more  easy,  if  it  should  please  God  to  make  use  of 
me  for  that  end ;  but  the  success  was  not  according 
to  my  wishes.  I  found  mutual  rising  jealousies, 
and,  as  I  thought,  groundless  surmisings  in  some 
instances,  prevailing  among  them.  These  difficul- 
ties increased  afterwards ;  and,  for  w^ant  of  charity 
and  mutual  condescension  and  forbearance,  they 
have  produced  an  open  separation.  I  doubt  not 
but  that  there  are  excellent  Christians  on  both  sides  ; 
and  there  has  been  a  very  great  display  of  divine 
grace  among  them ;  but  they  are  doubtless  to  be 
blamed  for  the  manner  of  separating.  What 
grounds  they  may  have,  I  do  not  know,  but  am 
afraid  they  have  gone  ofif  upon  a  wrong  principle." 
[Great  Awakening,  p.  155.]  It  will  be  noticed  that 
Mr.  Parsons  speaks  of  preaching  but  twice,  while 
Mr.  Hempstead  records  a  third  discourse  at  Mr. 
Curtis'  in  the  evening.  Mr.  Curtis  was  one  of 
those,  who  at  last  withdrew  from  the  church  to  form 
the  Separate  Church.  So  that  what  Mr.  Hemp- 
stead calls  a  third  discourse  was  what  Mr.  Parsons 
speaks  of  as  "using  some  private  endeavors  to  make 
things  more  easy." 

In  1742  David  Brainerd,  who  had  been  preaching 
in  Stonington,  came  and  preached  in  New  London, 
on  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Adams.  He  wrote  to  Mr. 
Bellamy  from  Saybrook,  February  4  of  that  year: 
"Last  week  I  preached  for  Mr.  Fish  of  Stonington; 


THE  GREAT  AWAKENING.  121 

the  Lord  helped  me  to  be  all  love  there,  while  I  was 
[pleading]  for  religion,  so  that  if  they  had  any  in- 
tention to  quarrel  with  me,  the  Lord  helped  me  to 
love  them  all  to  death.  There  was  much  false  zeal 
among  them,  so  that  some  began  to  separate  from 
that  dear  man.  *  *  *  There  is,  I  believe,  much 
false  religion  in  sundry  of  those  eastern  towns.  I 
preached  also  at  New  London,  where  I  conceive 
there  is  wild  confusion,  too  long  to  mention."  The 
outcome  was  the  withdrawal  of  about  one  hundred 
from  Mr.  Adams'  church  and  congregation  to  or- 
ganize a  Separatist  Society.  The  first  serious  break 
was  November  29th,  1742,  when  it  was  noticed  that 
John  Curtis,  Christopher  and  John  Christophers, 
Peter  and  John  Harris,  prominent  members  of 
the  church,  and  all  of  them  fruits  of  the  Great 
Awakening,  were  absent  from  the  communion. 
Those  who  withdrew  from  the  church  do  not  seem 
to  have  been  disciplined.  At  least  there  is  no 
record  of  such  action.  The  reason  given  for  the 
secession,  not  only  in  New  London,  but  elsewhere, 
was,  the  deadness  of  the  church,  and  the  legal 
preaching.  "Legal  preaching"  probably  means  that 
the  sermons  were  not  as  emotional  as  the  Separates 
desired,  did  not  sufficiently  appeal  to  the  feelings, 
and  failed  to  arouse  such  scenes  of  enthusiasm  as 
they  craved.  Samuel  Seabury,  at  the  time  rector  of 
Saint  James,  describes  scenes,  which  could  have  ap- 
plied only  to  the  meetings  of  the  seceders.  "The 
last  years  of  Mr.  Seabury 's  ministry  in  New  Lon- 
don," says  Dr.  Hallam,  [Annals,  pp.  35,  36],  "were 


122      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

disturbed  and  embarrassed  by  the  extraordinary 
flood  of  religious  extravagance  and  fanaticism  that 
swept  over  the  land  after  Whitefield's  career  in 
America,  called  frequently  the  Great  Awakening 
and  the  New  Light,  and  which  was  a  reaction  from 
that  terrible  deadness  and  immorality  in  which  the 
earnestness  and  severity  of  the  Puritan  settlers  had 
issued  within  a  century  from  their  coming.  *  *  * 
In  this  wild  deluge  of  religious  zeal,  New  London 
largely  shared.  Whitefield  himself  came  here,  and 
here  Davenport,  one  of  the  most  extravagant 
of  his  disciples  and  imitators,  enacted  some  of  the 
wildest  of  his  fanatical  performances.  *  *  *  Mr. 
Seabury  writes  June  5,  1743,  'these  people  have 
their  meetings  in  New  London  almost  every  night 
or  day,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  (as  I  am  apprised 
by  persons  of  good  sense  and  integrity)  to  see  ten 
or  more  seized  at  once  with  violent  agitations,  many 
incapable  of  any  decency,  crying  out  for  their 
damned  estate,  so  past  speaking  at  all,  or  so  much 
as  being  unable  to  stand,  fall  down,  as  they  pretend, 
with  the  weight  of  their  guilt ;  and  the  most  of  those 
continuing  thus,  violently  exercised  (as  they  say, 
with  conviction)  but  a  few  hours,  do  they  receive 
comfort?  *  *  *  New  London  has  been,  for  a 
week  together,  in  such  a  tumult  that  I  was  afraid 
the  people  would  have  been  beside  themselves.'  " 
If  all  this  made  the  position  of  the  rector  of  St. 
James,  difficult  and  embarassing,  whose  church  was 
not  directly  touched  by  it,  what  shall  be  said  about 


THE   GREAT  AWAKENING.  123 

Mr.  Adams,  on  whom  the  full  force  of  the  move- 
ment fell? 

These  seceders  associated  thernselves  together, 
and  were  qualified  by  the  county  court  to  hold 
meetings,  and  worship  together,  without  molesta- 
tion. So  that  they  had  recognition  before  the  law. 
They  secured  for  their  teacher,  Mr.  Timothy  Allen 
from  West  Haven.  Mr.  Jonathan  Hill  and  others, 
were  exhorters.  Hempstead  says  in  his  diary,  ''Ju- 
ly 10,  1742.  I  was  at  Mr.  Miller's  with  the  Rest  of 
the  Authority  to  speak  with  Mr.  Allen,  a  Suspended 
minister  who  is  come  here  from  N  Haven  West 
Side,  and  sets  up  to  preach  in  private  houses." 
The  house  of  Samuel  Harris  was  fitted  up  for  this 
society.  It  was  called  "The  Shepherd's  Tent."  It 
was  meant  to  be  a  place  of  worship,  and  an  institu- 
tion for  fitting  young  men  to  become  teachers  and 
Separatist  preachers.  It  was  New  London's  only 
theological  seminary.  The  building  still  stands 
next  to  the  corner  of  Blinman  street,  on  Truman 
street.  In  the  meetings  held  there  women  were  al- 
lowed freedom  of  speech,  and  a  relation  of  exper- 
ience was  usually  expected  from  those  who  attended. 
Hempstead  records  in  his  diary  the  following:  ''Feb- 
ruary 2,  1743,  Nath.  Williams  of  Stonington  lodged 
here,  he  went  over  in  the  evening  to  Mr.  Hills's, 
alias  Allen's,  at  the  house  that  was  Samuel  Harris's 
(now  the  shepherd's  tent)  and  there  Related  his 
Christian  Experiences  in  order  to  have  their  appro- 
bation, but  behold  the  Quite  Contrary,  for  they  up- 
on Examination,  find  him  yet  in  an  unconverted 


124      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Estate,  and  he  Confesses  the  Justice  of  their  Judge- 
ment, and  says  that  he  hath  judged  others  Divers 
times  and  altho  he  is  unwilHng  to  believe  it,  yet  Hke 
others  he  is  forced  to  bear  it." 

These  people  were  organized  into  a  Separate 
church,  or  society,  by  James  Davenport.  By 
their  invitation  he  came  to  New  London  for 
that  express  purpose.  As  James  Davenport,  and 
Timothy  Allen,  were  so  closely  connected  with 
the  Separate  movement  in  New  London,  it  is  proper 
at  this  point  to  say  a  few  words  about  them.  As  we 
have  seen  by  a  quotation  from  Mr.  Hempstead's 
diary,  Mr.  Allen  was  here  early  in  July,  1742.  He 
was  a  young  man  who  had  been  pastor  of  the  church 
in  West  Haven.  He  was  deposed  from  the  regular 
ministry  by  his  association  for  an  unguarded  ex- 
pression, which  was  made  to  mean  more  than  he 
intended.  He  was  alleged  to  have  compared  the 
Bible  to  an  old  almanac,  but  the  head  and  front  of 
his  ofifending,  was  probably,  that  he  had  entered 
actively  into  the  great  revival.  For  he  offered 
ample  apology  for  his  unguarded  remark,  but  with- 
out avail.  What  he  actually  said  was,  that  ''the 
reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  without  the  concur- 
ing  influence  and  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
no  more  convert  a  sinner,  than  the  reading  of  an 
old  almanack."  This  manner  of  expression  he  ac- 
knowledged to  be  wrong,  and  so  confessed  to  the 
association,  but  they  refused  to  listen.  He  came 
to  New  London  to  take  charge  of  the  Separate 
movement  where  he  remained  about  a  year.     He  re- 


THE   GREAT   AWAKENING.  125 

•sided  in  the  ''Shepherd's  Tent,"  with  his  family,  and 
kept  the  school  for  initiates  in  the  upper  part  of  it. 
After  a  brief  service  here  he  removed  from  town 
and  ultimately  reentered  the  Congregational  min- 
istry, in  which  he  served  with  great  acceptance  till 
he  died  in  1806. 

James  Davenport,  the  other  man  prominently 
identified  with  the  Separate  movement  in  New  Lon- 
don, and  in  fact  the  founder  of  the  church,  was  a 
great  grandson  of  the  founder  of  the  New  Haven 
Colony.  He  was  pastor  of  a  church  in  Southold, 
L.  I.  Whitefield  had  been  preaching  in  various 
places  in  New  England  and  elsewhere.  A  profound 
interest  in  spiritual  things  was  awakened.  Reports 
of  these  labors  came  to  Davenport's  ears.  He  vis- 
ited Whitcfield,  who  received  him  warmly.  Rev. 
Andrew  Croswell  in  a  pamphlet  prepared  in  Daven- 
port's defence  said,  ''Mr.  Whitefield  declared  in  con- 
versation, that  he  never  knew  one  keep  so  close 
walk  with  God  as  Mr.  Davenport."  Others  con- 
curred in  this  view.  Mr.  Owen  of  Groton,  said, 
"that  the  idea  he  had  of  the  apostles  themselves 
scarcely  exceeded  what  he  saw  in  Mr.  Davenport." 
Mr.  Croswell  declared  that  there  was  not  a  minister 
in  all  Connecticut,  zealously  affected  in  the  cause 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  who  would  not  be  inclined 
to  receive  Mr.  Davenport,  "almost  as  if  he  was  an 
angel  from  heaven."  Of  course  these  are  extrava- 
gant statements.  But  the  fact  is  that  Davenport 
was  a  man  of  piety,  of  strong  religious  sentiment, 
■  of  a  good  degree  of  ability,  and  persuasive  in  his 


126       LATER   HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

pulpit  efforts.  Yet  during  the  four  or  five  years  of 
his  most  erratic  conduct,  he  was  under  the  stress  of 
a  misguided  and  unrestrained  rehgious  enthusiasm, 
which  bordered  closely  on  insanity,  and  led  him 
into  those  excesses  for  which  he  afterwards  made 
due  acknowledgment. 

His  strange  career  began  in  his  own  parish.  He 
gathered  his  people  together  at  his  lodgings  and  ad- 
dressed them  for  almost  twenty-four  hours  together. 
He  believed  that  many  in  his  church  were  uncon- 
verted, and  set  himself  up  as  judge  of  regenerate 
and  unregenerate  character.  Those  whom  he  con- 
sidered regenerate  he  called  "brother,"  the  others 
he  addressed  as  "neighbor."  Soon  he  forbade  the 
"neighbors"  to  come  to  the  Lord's  table.  This  cre- 
ated no  little  excitement  among  his  people. 

Not  long  after  he  commenced  his  itinerancies. 
July  1 8,  1 741,  he  came  to  New  London.  His  meet- 
ings were  held  in  the  meeting-house,  in  the  even- 
ing. Mr.  Hempstead,  in  his  diary,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing description  of  the  scene  at  Davenport's 
first  appearance  in  this  town :  "Divers  women  were 
terrified  and  cried  out  exceedingly.  When  Mr. 
Davenport  had  dismissed  the  congregation  some 
went  out,  others  stayed,  he  then  went  into  the 
broad  alley  which  was  much  crowded,  and  there 
screamed  out,  'Come  to  Christ!  Come  to  Christ! 
Come  away !  Come  away !'  Then  he  went  into  the 
third  pew,  on  the  women's  side,  and  kept  there, 
sometimes  singing,  sometimes  praying;  he  and, 
companions  all  taking  their  turn,  and  the  women 


THE   GREAT   AWAKENING.  127 

fainting  and  in  hysterics.  This  continued  till  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  and  then  he  went  off  singing 
through  the  streets."  He  added  fuel  to  the  fire  by 
his  denouncing  Mr.  Adams  as  unconverted.  He 
also  visited  the  North  Parish,  where  similar  scenes 
were  enacted.  He  also  denounced  Mr.  Jewett  be- 
cause the  latter  refused  to  give  him  an  account  of 
his  religious  experience.  He  also  went  to  Groton 
where  immense  audiences  waited  on  his  preaching. 
''About  60  were  wounded,  many  strong  men,  as  well 
as  others."  [Hempstead.]  In  Stonington  about 
one  hundred,  were  struck  under  conviction  by  his 
first  sermon.  [Great  Awaken,  p.  235.]  Where- 
ever  he  went  he  denounced  not  only  professing 
Christians,  but  clergymen,  eminent  for  piety,  such 
as  Mr.  Eells  of  Stonington,  Mr.  Adams  of  New 
London,  and  Mr.  Jewett  of  the  North  Parish,  as  be- 
ing unconverted.  In  Stonington  his  attacks  on  Mr. 
Eells  were  so  unreasonable  and  severe  that  the  peo- 
ple were  indignant,  and  his  congregations  soon  left 
him.  Tracy  says,  speaking  of  his  denunciations  of 
the  clergymen,  "among  those  whom  he  condemned, 
was  the  venerable  Eliphalet  Adams  of  New  London, 
Connecticut,  whose  faithful  labors  had  been  the 
principal  means  of  preserving  the  flame  of  piety  in 
that  region  from  extinction,  and  under  whom  there 
had  been  a  happy  revival  in  1721,  the  period  of  deep- 
est darkness  in  New  England.  Here  his  influence 
in  producing  alienations  and  divisions  is  said  to 
have  been  peculiarly  unhappy  though  no  particulars 
are  given ;  and  the  report  of  the  injustice  done  to  a 


128      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

man  so  extensively  known  and  revered,  and  of  the 
injury  done  to  his  people,  produced  a  deep  sensa- 
tion throughout  the  country." 

Davenport's  proceedings  were  so  gross  and  dis- 
turbing to  the  peace  that  complaint  was  entered 
against  him  to  the  Colonial  Legislature  at  the  ses- 
sion of  May,  1742.  After  due  trial  it  was  decided 
that  "the  behavior,  conduct  and  doctrines  advanced 
by  the  said  James  Davenport,  do,  and  have  a  natural 
tendency  to,  disturb  and  destroy  the  peace  and  or- 
der of  this  government.  Yet  it  further  appears  to 
this  Assembly  that  the  said  Davenport  is  under  in- 
fluence of  enthusiastical  impressions  and  impulses, 
and  thereby  disturbed  in  the  rational  faculties  of  his 
mind,  and  therefore  to  be  pitied  and  compassion- 
ated, and  not  to  be  treated  as  otherwise  he  might 
be."  It  was  therefore  ordered  that  he  be  sent  back 
to  Southold.  On  hearing  the  decision  he  said, 
"though  I  must  go,  I  hope  Christ  will  not,  but  will 
tarry  and  carry  on  his  work  in  this  government,  in 
spite  of  all  the  power  and  malice  of  earth  and  hell." 
About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day 
of  June,  1742,  a  sherifif  and  two  files  of  men  armed 
with  muskets,  conducted  him  to  the  banks  of  the 
Connecticut  in  Hartford,  where  he  was  put  on  board 
a  vessel,  whose  captain  agreed  to  carry  him  to  his 
liome.  On  the  29th  of  June  he  was  in  Boston.  His 
course  there  led  him  into  the  same  excesses  and  de- 
nunciations. Again  complaint  was  lodged  with  the 
authorities  against  him.  The  court,  after  hearing 
the  case,  and  examining  the  facts,  decided  that  "he 


THE  GREAT  AWAKENING.  129 

was  non  compos  mentis ,  and  therefore  that  the  said 
James  Davenport  is  not  guilty." 

After  this  he  seems  to  have  gone  home,  and  spent 
the  winter  with  his  people.  October  7,  1742,  a 
council  met  at  Southold  which  severely  censured 
him  for  his  irregular  absences  from  his  church.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  winter  Mr.  Hempstead  was  in 
Southold  on  a  visit  to  his  son  Robert.  He  went 
to  hear  Mr.  Davenport  preach,  February  2y,  1743, 
and  on  that  date  made  this  entry  in  his  diary.  "I 
went  to  town  to  hear  Mr.  Davenport,  but  it  was 
scarcely  worth  the  hearing :  the  praying  was  with- 
out form  or  Comeliness.  It  was  difficult  to  distin- 
guish between  his  praying  and  preaching,  for  it  was 
all  a  meer  confused  medley :  he  had  no  text  nor  Bi- 
ble visible,  no  Doctrines,  no  uses,  nor  Improve- 
ment, nor  anything  else  that  was  Regular  forenoon 
nor  afternoon,  and  the  last  Sabath  before  by  Report 
was  of  ye  same  piece  tho  not  on  the  same  subject, 
for  then  it  was,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me 
Over  and  over  manv  times ;  then  leave  off  and  be- 
gin  again  the  same  words  verbatim.  Now  it  was 
(in  addition  to  telling  of  his  own  Revelation  and 
others  Concerning  the  Shepherd's  Tent  and  other 
such  things)  he  called  the  people  to  Sing  a  new  song 
etc.  forevermore  30  or  40  times  Immediately  fol- 
lowing as  fast  as  one  word  could  follow  after  an- 
other 30  or  40  times  or  more  and  yn  Something 
else  and  then  over  with  it  again.  I  can't  relate  the 
inconsistance  of  it." 

Mr.    Davenport    seems,    at   this    time,    to    have 


130       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

reached  the  cHmax  of  his  erratic  course.  For  on 
the  Wednesday  following,  the  second  day  of  March, 
he  came  to  New  London,  and,  on  the  Sabbath  fol- 
lowing, the  sixth  day  of  March,  1743,  enacted  the 
strange  scene  of  the  burning  of  books,  clothing, 
etc.  As  we  have  already  seen  this  was  also  the 
occasion  when  the  Separates  of  New  London  were 
organized  into  a  Separate  society,  although  they 
had  held  meetings  for  about  a  year.  Davenport 
preached  one  of  his  zealous  sermons,  in  which 
he  dwelt  with  great  emphasis  upon  the  need  of  a 
pure  church.  In  order  to  have  such  a  church  it 
would  be  necessary  to  destroy  and  burn  every  idol 
of  whatever  sort.  He  denounced  certain  religious 
books,  and  called  upon  those  who  were  to  be  con- 
stituted into  a  church  to  renounce  idolatrv.  So  it 
was  proposed  that  each,  with  his  idol,  should  re- 
pair to  a  certain  place,  and  there  make  a  bonfire  of 
the  whole  collection,  and  utterly  consume  them. 
The  congregation  responded  with  alacrity,  and 
there  were  brought  to  him,  in  his  room,  so  that  he 
might,  by  a  solemn  decree  consign  them  to  the 
flames,  a  great  collection  of  books,  sermons,  wigs, 
cloaks,  breeches,  hoods,  gowns,  rings,  jewels,  neck- 
laces and  similar  articles  which  the  persons  who 
brought  them  had  esteemed  and  valued.  He  also 
made  a  list  of  books,  highly  regarded  as  works  of 
devotion,  which  must  be  consigned  to  the  flames. 
All  being  in  readiness  they  repaired  to  the  place 
agreed  upon.  Dr.  Hallam  locates  it  as  follows : 
"The  wretched  scene  was  exhibited  in  front  of  Mr. 


THE   GREAT   AWAKENING.  131 

Christophers',  at  the  head  of  what  is  now  Hallam 
street."  [Annals,  p.  37.]  Mr.  Trumbull  gives  the 
following  account  of  this  strange  performance.  *Tn 
New  London  *  *  *  they  made  a  large  fire  to  burn 
their  books,  clothes,  and  ornaments,  which  they 
called  their  idols ;  and  which  they  now  determined 
to  forsake  and  utterly  put  away..  This  imaginary 
work  of  piety  and  self-denial  they  imdertook  on  the 
Lord's  day,  and  brought  their  clothes,  books,  neck- 
laces and  jewels  together,  in  the  main  street.  They 
began  with  burning  their  erroneous  books ;  drop- 
ping them  one  after  another  into  the  fire,  pronounc- 
ing these  words :  Tf  the  author  of  this  book  died 
in  the  same  sentiments  and  faith  in  which  he  wrote 
it,  as  the  smoke  of  this  pile  ascends,  so  the  smoke 
of  his  torment  will  ascend  forever,  and  ever,  Hal- 
lelujah !  Amen.'  *  =i^  *  John  Lee,  of  Lyme,  told 
them  his  idols  were  his  wife  and  children,  and  that 
he  could  not  burn  them ;  it  would  be  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  God  and  man :  That  it  was  impossible 
to  destroy  idolatry  without  a  change  of  heart,  and 
of  the  affections. "  Among  the  condemned  books, 
says  Tracy,  'Vere  Beveridge,  Flavel,  Drs.  Increase 
Mather,  Colman,  and  Sewall,  and  that  tervid  revival- 
ist, Jonathan  Parsons  of  Lyme."  This  was  the  last 
recorded  outbreak  of  Davenport's  fanaticism,  and  ill 
regulated  zeal,  which  charity  ascribes  to  a  mental 
state  closely  bordering  on  insanity.  In  the  next 
year  he  came  to  himself,  and  wrote  and  published 
retractions,  which  were  a  clear  and  candid  acknowl- 
edgment of  his  errors,  in  all  the  various  particulars 
in  which  he  had  offended.     In  these  retractions  he 


132        LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

said,  "and  here  I  would  ask  the  forgiveness  of  those 
ministers  whom  I  have  injured,"  in  causing  separa- 
tion from  their  churches,  and  in  affirming  that  they 
were  unconverted. 

This  strange  constitution  of  the  Separate  Church 
here  in  New  London  seems  to  have  sounded  the 
knell  of  its  early  dissolution.  Mr.  Allen,  who  had 
been  with  them  for  about  a  year,  left  soon  after. 
The  holocaust  of  books,  highly  esteemed  as  works 
of  devotion,  whose  authors  were  men  noted  for  pi- 
ety, shocked  people,  and  was  regarded  almost  as 
sacrilegious.  The  strange  performance  seems  to 
have  scattered  the  mists  and  calmed  the  storm.  It 
startled  the  "New  Lights"  themselves,  and  brought 
them  to  a  more  rational  mood.  "From  this  period 
the  New  Light  party  in  New  London  took  reason 
and  discretion  for  their  guides  and  interpreted  more 
soberly  the  suggestions  of  conscience  and  the  com- 
mands of  scripture,"  says  Miss  Caulkins.  They 
could  not  agree  upon  a  teacher  and  leader,  and 
never  had  one  after  Mr.  Allen  left.  It  is  almost  cer- 
tain that  most  of  those  who  left  the  First  Church 
came  back  to  it.  We  know  that  Christopher  and 
John  Christophers  did  so,  for  January  17,  1750  Mr. 
Adams  baptized  a  child  for  each  of  them.  A  few, 
with  Nathan  Howard  as  a  leader,  embraced  Baptist 
principles,  as  we  have  seen,  and  were  constituted 
into  the  Baptist  Church  in  the  Nehantic  district  of 
New  London,  now  Waterford,  in  1748.  This  ended 
the  Separate  movement  in  New  London. 

Reports  of  what  had  been  done  here,  at  the  burn- 


THE  GREAT  AWAKENING.  133' 

ing  of  the  books,  clothes,  etc.  flew  abroad  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind.  The  regular  clergy  were 
alarmed,  as  they  had  some  reason  to  be.  The  sep- 
aration from  the  regularly  established  church,  grew 
to  considerable  proportions  in  Southeastern  Con- 
necticut, and  did  not  cease  till  the  evils  against 
which  it  was  a  protest,  came  to  an  end,  with  the 
practice  of  the  halfway  covenant.  This  pr^^ctice  and 
its  resulting  evils,  were  alone  responsible  for  the 
separation.  For  the  "New  Lights"  as  they  were 
called,  were  correct  in  doctrine  in  the  main,  and 
were  Congregationalists.  But  they  rebelled  against 
the  interference  of  the  state  in  affairs  of  the  church, 
and  refused  to  fellowship  churches  which  admitted 
to  their  sacraments  unconverted  persons. 

March  30,  1743,  twenty-four  days  after  the 
strange  scenes  enacted  in  Main  street  at  the  con- 
stitution of  the  Separate  Society,  a  council  met  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Adams,  doubtless  at  his  request, 
to  give  him  advice  concerning  "the  disorders  that 
are  subsisting  among  those  called  New  Lights 
which  follow  Mr.  Davenport  and  Curtis  and  allin, 
etc."  [Hempstead.]  The  same  authority  tells  us 
that  there  were  present  "Mr.  Williams  of  Lebanon, 
and  Mr.  Edwards  of  Northampton,  *  *  *  Mr.  Lord 
of  Norwich,  Mr.  Mecham  of  Coventry  and  pomeroy 
of  Hebron  and  Bellamee  of  Woodbury  and  Young 
Buell  [of  Coventry]  and  Rossiter  [of  Stonington.]" 
Mr.  Edwards  was  moderator.  On  the  next  day, 
March  31,  Mr.  Edwards  preached  a  sermon  of 
which   Mr.   Hempstead  wrote  in  his  diary,  "very 


134      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH 

suitable  for  the  times  to  bear  witness  against  ye 
prevailing  disorders  and  distractions  yt  are  subsist- 
ing in  the  country  by  reason  of  enthusiasm."  After 
the  discourse  a  great  concourse  of  people  repaired 
to  the  court-house  where  those  who  had  taken  part 
in  the  scene  of  burning  the  books,  were  tried  for 
profanation  of  the  Sabbath.  The  writ  was  dated 
March  29,  1743.  The  justice  was  Joshua  Hemp- 
stead. The  court  found  "all  of  them  severally 
guilty  of  the  profanation  of  the  Sabbath,  or  Lord's 
Day,  contrary  to  the  laws  of  this  colony,  and  there- 
fore gave  judgment  that  they,  the  said  John  Curtis, 
etc.,  pay  a  fine  of  five  shillings  each  and  the  costs 
of  prosecution." 

The  revival  had  practically  come  to  an  end  be- 
fore Mr.  Whitefield's  first  visit  to  New  London, 
which  was  in  1745.  He  had  preached  in  the  North 
Parish  on  Friday,  August  9.  On  Saturday,  the 
loth,  he  came  here  and  preached  "in  ye  meeting- 
house, to  a  great  assembly  *  *  *  here  from  I  Pe- 
ter, 26.  Chap.,  and  first  part  of  ye  7th  verse,  unto 
you  therefore  whch  believe  he  is  precious.' " 
[Hempstead.]  On  the  next  day,  which  was  Sun- 
day he  preached  all  day  "under  ye  Oak  Tree  in  ye 
foren  stood  in  his  chair  [a  travelling  chair]  took  it 
ofif  his  horse,  text  from  Rom.  Chap.  13  and  first 
part  of  ver  14th  'put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.' 
Afternoon  from  Revelation  3d  Chap.  20th  ver.  'be- 
hold I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock'  and  a  great  as- 
sembly perhaps  twice  so  many  as  could  possibly  sit 
in  ye  meetinghouse,  many  from  ye  North  parish. 


THE  GREAT  AWAKENING.  135 

from  Norwich,  Groton,  Stonington  and  Lyme  East 
Society.  An  excellent  preacher."  From  here  Mr. 
Whitefield  went  to  East  Lyme,  and  from  thence  to 
New  York  and  Georgia.  He  preached  again  in 
New  London  on  Wednesday  evening,  February  8, 
1763. 

In  spite  of  all  the  drawbacks  the  Great  Awaken- 
ing was  productive  of  permanent  and  blessed  re- 
sults. Dr.  Ezra  Stiles,  afterwards  president  of  Yale 
College  said,  in  1760,  that  as  a  fruit  of  that  revival 
one  hundred  and  fifty  new  churches  were  founded 
by  a  ''natural  increase  into  new  towns  and  parish- 
es." Large  numbers  were  added  to  the  churches, 
the  estimate  ranging  between  20,000  and  50,000. 
"Princeton  and  Dartmouth  Colleges  both  grew  in- 
directly out  of  it;  as  also  the  mission  of  David 
Brainard  to  the  heathen,  and  the  monthly  concert 
of  prayer  for  the  world.  Even  the  disorders  which 
attended  it  *  *  *  were  not  without  their  practical 
use."     [Cong.  Chs.  in  Mass.  p.  173.] 

But  the  result  which  was  deepest,  reached  far- 
thest, and  touched  most  radically  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  churches,  was  the  initiation  of  those  in- 
fluences which  brought  to  an  end  the  practice  of 
the  halfway  covenant.  Says  Tracy,  "the  restoration 
of  the  true  doctrine  concerning  church  membership 
was  another  important  result  of  the  revival."  For 
this  we,  in  Southeastern  Connecticut,  have  to  thank 
the  Separates  for  the  stand  which  they  took  against 
opening  the  doors  of  the  church  to  unconverted  per- 
sons.    The  practice  which  had  been  intrenched  in 


136      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH 

the  churches  for  several  generations  died  hard.  It 
was  over  fifty  years  before  it  came  to  an  end  in  this 
church,  but  the  end  came. 

The  numerical  accessions  to  Mr.  Adams'  church 
were  not  so  large  as  to  some  of  the  neighboring 
churches.  The  opposition  may  have  been  stronger. 
The  Separate  defection  may  have  been  larger.  Mr. 
Adams  may  have  entered  into  the  revival  with  less 
enthusiasm.  But  the  results  were  beneficent,  and 
if  the  succeeding  pastorate  had  been  as  strong  and 
judicious,  they  would  have  remained  longer,  and 
the  church  would,  doubtless,  have  been  spared  some 
unpleasant  experiences  which  awaited  it. 


V. 

THE   MINISTRY   OF   MATHER   BYI,KS,   JR. 
November  18,  1757— April  12,  1768. 


The  death  of  Mr.  Adams  was  an  irreparable  loss 
to  the  town  and  to  the  colony.  For,  ten  years  be- 
fore, it  will  be  remembered,  Matthew  Stewart  wrote 
of  him  that  he  was  "in  every  respect,  the  most  su- 
perior person  in  the  colony."  The  process  of  se- 
curing his  successor  was  not  immediately  success- 
ful. Mr.  Adams  had  been  in  his  grave  four  years 
when  Mr.  Byles  was  ordained  as  pastor. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Graves,  who  was  at  the  time  rector 
of  Saint  James'  was  not  only  a  friend  of  Mr.  Adams, 
but  also  of  the  church,  after  its  loss.  Dr.  Hallam 
says  that  "his  relations  to  his  Congregational  neigh- 
bors were  of  the  most  friendly  and  cordial  charac- 
ter." He  zealously  advocated  the  settlement  of 
Mr.  Adams'  successor.  In  so  doing  he  gave  so 
great  offence  to  Saint  Paul's,  Narragansett,  that  the 
church  requested  that  he  should  not  be  removed  to 
them,  as  was  contemplated.  In  a  history  of  this 
church  in  Narragansett  it  was  said  of  Mr.  Graves, 
*'he  has  lately  given  great  offence  to  his  brethren 


138       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

and  us,  by  being  officious  in  settling  a  Dissenting 
teacher  in  New  London,  and  injudicious  enough  to 
be  present  at  his  ordination."  He  often  worshipped 
with  Christians  of  other  names,  and  Dr.  Hallam 
says,  "he  was  not  a  very  strenuous  churchman." 

During  the  interval  between  Mr.  Adams  and  Mr. 
Byles  the  church  was  often  supplied  by  strangers, 
by  neighboring  ministers,  and  by  Rev.  William 
Adams,  the  eldest  son  of  the  late  pastor.  The  rec- 
ords of  baptisms  during  the  interim  show  that  Rev. 
Mr.  Jewett  of  Montville  preached  four  times,  Rev. 
Mr.  Cleveland  of  Haddam  twice,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ellis  of 
Franklin  once,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lord  of  Norwich  three 
times,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson  of  Old  Lyme  three 
times,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Beckwith  of  Hamburg  in  Lyme 
once,  the  Rev.  'Mr.  Griswold  of  East  Lyme  once, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Throop  of  Bozrah  twice,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Estabrooks  of  East  Haddam  once.  It  is  not  unlike- 
ly that  these  pastors  preached  here  in  exchange  with 
Mr.  William  Adams,  in  order  to  administer  the  rite 
of  Baptism.  Frequently  the  pulpit  was  vacant.  In 
his  diary,  Mr.  Hempstead  makes  records  like  the 
following,  which  fairly  represent  the  probable  situa- 
tion. "Dea.  Green  carried  on,"  which  is  not  to  be 
understood  as  saying  that  the  deacon  conducted 
himself  in  an  improper  manner,  but  that,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  a  preacher  he  held  what  used  to  be  called  a 
deacon's  meeting.  ''Many  went  to  the  North  Par- 
ish Meeting;"  "Some  went  to  Lyme;"  ''no  minister 
provided;"  "no  minister;"  "I  went  to  hear  the 
church  minister;"  "May  i6,  1756,  Mr.  Burr,  Rector 


BYLES   JR.'S  MINISTRY.  139 

of  the  College  in  the  East  Jerseys  preached  all  day." 
This  was  the  father  of  the  celebrated  Aaron  Burr, 
and  president  of  Princeton  College.  Mr.  Hemp- 
stead records  also  that  "February  i8,  (1756)  A  So- 
ciety fast,"  was  observed,  "on  account  of  our  un- 
happy circumstances ;  our  w^ant  of  a  settled  minis- 
ter." An  unsuccessful  effort  was  made  about  this 
time,  to  solve  the  difficulty,  by  calling  Rev.  William 
Adams  to  succeed  his  father  in  the  pastorate  of  the 
church.  For  Mr.  Hempstead  makes  the  following 
record:  'Teb.  2-^,  [1756]  A  Society  meeting.  Mr. 
(William)  Adams  negatived,  forty-five  against  forty- 
two." 

Thus  matters  went  on  till  April  10,  1757,  when 
Mr.  Byles  appeared  on  the  scene  for  the  first  time. 
Mr.  Hempstead  records  in  his  diary,  on  that  date, 
''Mr.  Mather  Boiles  of  Boston  preached.  A  great 
assembly,  three  or  four  times  as  big  as  it  hath  been 
of  late.     He  stavs  at  Mr.  Shaws." 

A  few  words  concerning  the  ancestry  of  this 
young  man,  who  was  to  be  the  pastor  of  this  church, 
are  in  place  here.  Mr.  Josiah  Byles,  a  saddler  by 
trade,  came  to  Boston,  with  his  w4fe  Sarah,  from 
England,  as  early  as  1695.  October  11,  1696,  he 
joined  the  church,  of  which  Rev.  Increase  Mather 
was  pastor.  His  wife  Sarah  died  soon  after  the 
birth  of  her  last  child,  Feb.  7,  1703.  On  the  sixth 
of  the  following  October  he  married  Elizabeth, 
widow^  of  William  Greenough,  and  daughter  of  In- 
crease Mather.  By  her  Mr.  Josiah  Byles  had 
Mather,  who  was  born  in  Boston  March  15,  1706-7, 


140       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

was  baptized  March  i6,  and  received  the  name 
borne  by  his  mother's  noted  family.  He  graduated 
from  Harvard  College  in  1725  at  the  early  age  of 
nineteen.  December  20,  1733  he  became  the  pastor 
of  the  Hollis  Street  Church  in  his  native  city,  where 
he  remained  till  1776.  He  was  noted  in  his  time 
for  his  conversational  powers,  and  for  his  wit.  He 
had  considerable  literary  taste,  a  fine  imagination, 
a  great  command  of  language,  and  terseness  of  ex- 
pression. He  wrote  several  poems  which  w^ere  pub- 
lished. One  was  on  the  death  of  George  I,  in  1727; 
another  in  1736,  entitled  a  "poetical  epistle  to  Gov. 
Belcher  on  the  death  of  his  lady ;"  and  other  miscel- 
laneous poems  which  appeared  in  1744.  The  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him. 
Dr.  Byles,  when  the  break  came  between  the 
English  crown  and  the  American  colonies,  took 
the  side  of  the  crown.  Soon  after  the  war  broke 
out  most  of  the  ministers  of  Boston  left,  their  places 
of  worship  having  been  taken  by  the  British  author- 
ities. He,  the  one  tory  among  them  all,  remained. 
When  his  people  returned,  after  the  evacuation  of 
the  city  by  the  English,  they  refused  to  allow  him 
to  preach,  and  in  August,  1776,  his  connection  with 
his  parish  was  dissolved,  when  he  was  seventy  years 
of  age.  The  next  year,  in  May,  he  was  denounced 
in  town-meeting,  and  condemned  to  imprisonment 
in  a  guard  ship  forty  days,  and  to  be  sent  to  England 
with  his  family.  The  sentence  was  afterwards 
changed  to  imprisonment  in  his  own  house.  He 
was  not  sent  to  England,  but  continued  to  live  in 


BYLES  JR.'S  MINISTRY.  141 

Boston  till  he  died,  July  5,  1788,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two. 

Rev.  Mather  Byles,  Jr.,  his  son,  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton, January  12,  1735.  He  graduated  from  Har- 
vard College  in  the  class  of  175 1.  In  accordance 
with  the  custom  of  the  times  he  came  to  New  Lon- 
don to  preach  as  a  candidate,  during  three  months, 
in  1757.  It  was  not  only  a  question  whether 
the  church  wanted  the  minister,  but  also  whether 
the  minister  wanted  the  church.  But  in  this  case 
the  period  of  trial  was  merely  a  matter  of  form. 
For  his  distinguished  Puritan  descent,  the  reputa- 
tion of  his  father,  and  his  own  brilliant  promise  se- 
cured popularity  for  him  before  he  had  earned  it. 
His  pulpit  ministrations  charmed  and  fascinated  the 
people.  His  animated  manner,  and  his  eloquence 
won  him  the  place.  For  July  28th,  at  a  very  full 
meeting,  an  entirely  unanimous  vote  was  passed, 
inviting  him  to  settle  as  the  pastor  of  the  church. 
The  salary  offered  was  £  100,  with  a  gratuity  of 
£240,  to  be  paid  in  four  years.  He  immediately 
accepted  the  call,  and  was  ordained  November  18, 
1757.     He  was  then  twenty-three  years  of  age. 

The  salary  offered  was  considerable  for  those 
times.  It  was  not  always  an  easy  matter,  in  those 
days  of  slender  resources,  to  raise  £100.  Every 
pound  meant,  to  not  a  few,  a  degree  of  self-denial 
and  effort  which  we  can  scarcely  appreciate.  The 
financial  difificulties  which  beset  every  enterprise, 
secular  as  well  as  religious,  were  such  as  we  do  not 
experience.     An  interesting  and  significant  event 


142       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

which  took  place  the  year  subsequent  to  Mr.  Byles' 
ordination  serves  to  illustrate  this  fact.  In  1758, 
while  by  law  members  were  taxed  for  the  support 
of  the  gospel,  the  society,  mindful  of  the  difficulty 
with  which  some  raised  the  money  to  meet  this  tax, 
petitioned  the  General  Assembly  for  permission  to 
lay  a  tax  on  the  pews  in  the  house  of  worship  for 
three  years,  instead  of  on  the  grand  list.  The 
praiseworthy  object  of  this  petition,  as  stated  in 
it,  was,  to  relieve  those  who  were  illy  able  to  pay 
for  the  ministrations  of  the  house  of  God.  The  pe- 
tition was  granted.  This  taxing  of  pews  pointed  to 
individual  ownership  of  them  in  the  meeting-house 
now  almost  if  not  entirely  unknown.  They  were 
taxed  as  personal  property.  This  practice  seems  to 
have  been  discontinued  after  the  three  years,  for  we 
come  again  to  a  period  when  men  were  taxed  upon 
the  grand  list  for  the  support  of  the  gospel. 

Mr.  Byles  was  the  first  pastor  to  be  called  and 
settled,  without  a  vote  of  the  town,  by  the  church 
and  society.  Previous  to  his  settlement  the  ques- 
tion of  coming  under  the  Saybrook  Platform  was 
again  agitated.  For  the  following  stands  on  the 
church  records :  ''The  brethren  of  this  church  met 
at  the  Meeting  House  Oct.  17,  1757,  and  the  ques- 
tion being  put  whether  this  church  would  hereafter 
admit  of  the  Saybrook  Platform  as  a  rule  of  dis- 
cipline, it  was  voted  in  the  negative.  Nemine  Con- 
tradicente."  This  settled  its  fate  in  this  church  for 
about  fifty  years.  Inasmuch  as  the  legislature,  in 
1743,  repealed  the  ''Act  for  the  Relief  of  Sober  Con- 


BYLES  JR/S  ministry.  143 

sciences,"  as  it  was  called,  and  thus  made  the  Say- 
brook  method  of  discipline  the  established  order  in 
this  colony,  and  in  a  manner  obligatory  upon  the 
churches,  this  vote  of  the  church  is  the  more  sig- 
nificant. But  it  was  strong  enough  successfully  to 
refuse  to  comply  with  the  vote  of  the  legislature. 

The  following  account  of  Mr.  Byles'  ordination 
is  entered  on  the  records  of  the  church  in  his  own 
hand,  which,  at  this  distance  of  almost  a  century  and 
a  half  is  as  easy  to  read  as  the  printed  page.  '*I757 
November  i8,  I  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  first 
Church  of  Christ  in  New  London.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Lord  of  Norwich  began  with  prayer ;  My  father,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Byles  of  Boston  preached  on  2  Tim.  3  :  17. 
Mr.  Lord  read  the  votes  of  the  church  and  society 
relating  to  the  call,  with  my  Answer;  My  father 
prayed  and  gave  the  charge,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fish  of 
Stonington  prayed  after  the  charge ;  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Throop  of  Norwich  gave  the  Right  Hand  of  Fel- 
lowship;  and  I  the  Psalm  and  Blessing!"  This  is 
the  first  instance  in  the  history  of  the  church  in 
which  an  ordination  proceeded  according  to  the 
modern  Congregational  method.  Mr.  Lord  was 
the  scribe  of  the  council. 

Mr.  Byles  lived  in  the  house  now  standing  at  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Douglass  streets  which  was  oc- 
cupied by  the  late  Dea.  James  E.  Goddard.  This 
dwelling  was  built  by  Mr.  Byles  and  he  occupied 
it  during  his  stay  in  New  London.  Upon  leaving 
New  London  he  sold  it  to  Dr.  Moffat,  who  at  the 
time  was  collector  of  customs  for  the  Crown  at  this 


144        LATER   HISTORY  OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

port.  Dr.  Moffat,  being  an  officer  in  the  employ  of 
the  EngHsh  government,  was  of  course  a  tory;  so 
when  the  town  was  burned  by  Arnold  this  house 
escaped. 

A  list  of  members  of  the  church  in  1757,  made  by 
Mr.  Byles  at  the  time  of  his  ordination,  shows  that 
there  were  one  hundred  and  six  females,  and  fifty- 
four  males  ;  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  sixty.  Dur- 
ing his  ministry  fifty-six  were  added  to  the  church — 
thirteen  males  and  forty-three  females.  Of  these 
eight  were  received  by  letter.  There  are  no  evi- 
dences of  any  special  religious  interest  during  Mr. 
Byles'  ministry.  While  he  was  what  is  called  a  pop- 
ular preacher,  and  had  the  esteem  of  his  people,  he 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  preacher  of  searching 
spiritual  power.  Besides,  there  were  violent  out- 
breaks of  the  Rogerenes,  probably  more  to  annoy 
him  than  because  of  a  desire  to  obstruct  the  church. 
He  was  a  man  of  hotter  temper  than  Mr.  Adams, 
and  had  not  the  cool  judgment  of  his  predecessor  in 
dealing  with  people  of  that  sort.  We  shall  also  find 
evidences  that  the  practice  of  the  halfway  covenant 
was  still  continued,  with  its  usual  deadening  effect 
upon  the  spiritual  life  of  the  church.  Dr.  Field  says 
of  him,  "he  had  not  the  solid  excellences  of  Mr. 
Adams,  but  was  young  and  attractive  in  personal 
appearance,  and  his  florid  style  and  eloquent  man- 
ner gained  him  immediate  popularity."  But  the 
fruits  of  his  ministry  point  to  no  such  abiding  spir- 
itual power  in  the  pulpit  as  characterized  his  pred- 
ecessor.    He  seems  to  have  been  very  grave  and 


BYLES  JR.'S  MINISTRY.  145 

dignified,  easily  irritated,  and  of  a  quick  temper. 
The  Rogerenes  soon  discovered  this  fact,  and  used 
it  to  hinder  him  in  his  usefulness ;  and  they  were 
in  a  measure  successful.  Dr.  Hallam  says  of  him, 
[Annals,  p.  54]  "though  he  seems  to  have  been 
somewhat  grand  and  lordly  in  his  ways,  his  people 
were  proud  of  him,  and  he  dwelt  with  them  in  har- 
mony and  peace."  This  was  true  until  the  very 
last  when,  for  obvious  reasons,  this  feeling  was  very 
decidedly  changed.  Towards  the  close  of  his  min- 
istry Mr,  Byles  developed  tendencies  to  a  more 
formal  and  ritualistic  method  of  worship,  which  end- 
ed in  his  leaving  the  Congregational  denomination, 
and  entering  the  Episcopal  ministry.  His  leaning 
to  this  order  leads  us  to  suspect  that  Mr.  Byles' 
sympathies  were  never  in  full  accord  with  evangel- 
istic movements.  These  facts  help  to  explain,  in 
part,  the  small  number  of  accessions  to  the  church 
during  his  ministry  of  over  ten  years.  He  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  a  man  of  so  strong  char- 
acter as  to  impress  himself  very  deeply  upon  his 
people  or  the  town.  He  was  a  briUiant  preacher, 
but  he  lacked  a  certain  abiding  strength.  The  spir- 
itual life  of  the  church  did  not  make  very  marked 
progress  under  his  ministry.  However  it  should 
be  said  that  some  of  the  prominent  people  in  the 
town,  and  in  the  colony,  united  with  the  church 
during  his  pastorate.  Conspicuous  among  them 
was  General  Gurdon  Saltonstall,  son  of  the  govern- 
or, and  his  wife.  As  we  have  seen  the  member- 
ship of  the  church,  at  the  opening  of  his  pastorate 
was   one  hundred   and   sixty.     From   that   on   for 


146       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

thirty  years  various  causes  operated  to  produce  a 
steady  loss.  At  the  close  of  his  pastorate  the  mem- 
bership could  not  have  been  much  over  fifty. 

Mr.  Byles  left  what  he  designates  as  "a  list  of 
persons  received  into  the  covenant  by  M.  Byles." 
On  this  list  are  one  hundred  and  seven  names  of  per- 
sons, all  but  seven  of  whom  were  admitted  to  the 
privileges  of  the  rite  of  baptism  alone,  without  there- 
by making  public  profession  of  saving  faith.  The 
record,  relating  to  those  received  into  full  member- 
ship, reads  simply  "admitted."  But  of  the  others 
the  record  reads,  "received  into  covenant,"  then  fol- 
low the  names,  and  in  several  cases  this  is  added 
"(the  church  being  satisfied)."  This  was  the  half- 
way covenant.  In  nearly  every  instance  follows  the 
record  of  the  baptism  of  the  children  of  those  so  re- 
ceived or  of  the  persons  themselves.  Receptions  of 
this  sort  added  nothing  to  the  church.  A  single  case 
will  suffice  for  illustration.  "Feb.  12.  Received  into 
covenant  Nathaniel  Waterhouse,  Elizabeth  Water- 
house  (the  church  being  satisfied).  Baptized,  Dan- 
iel of  Nathaniel  and  Elizabeth  Waterhouse." 
Neither  Mr.  or  Mrs.  Waterhouse  appear  as  mem- 
bers of  the  church  in  full  communion.  They  came 
only  halfway.  The  number  of  persons  thus  re- 
ceived into  halfway  fellowship  in  the  church,  as  he 
gives  the  list  was  almost  twice  the  number  whom 
he  received  into  full  fellowship.  Twelve  received 
baptism  themselves.  Two  were  admitted  to  the 
Lord's  table  who,  for  reasons  which  will  appear  la- 
ter, did  not  join  the  church  in  full  fellowship  till 


BYLES   JR.'S   MINISTRY.  147 

1788.     So  that  the  halfway  covenant  was  in  full 
practice  throughout  Mr.  Byles'  pastorate. 

Mr.  Byles  seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  somewhat 
methodical  turn  of  mind.  His  records  of  the 
church  are  admirably  kept,  and  are  models  of  neat- 
ness and  accuracy.  He  has  also  left  a  list  of  the 
baptisms  during  his  ministry.  The  records  begin 
with  1757,  and  end  early  in  1768.  There  are  three 
hundred  and  sixty-two  names  on  the  list.  Of 
these,  by  far  the  larger  part,  were  presented  by  par- 
ents, neither  of  whom  were  members  of  the  church. 

As  was  the  usual  custom  in  those  days  children 
were  presented  for  baptism  in  the  place  and  at  the 
time  of  public  worship ;  usually  on  the  Sabbath,  but 
sometimes  at  the  weekly  lecture  on  Wednesday.  In 
case  of  sickness,  however,  the  rite  was  administered 
at  the  home. 

A  few  entries  show  that  the  proper  discipline  of 
the  church  was  not  altogether  lacking.  Thus 
March  9,  1760,  it  is  recorded  that  Jemima  Dolliver, 
who  had  joined  the  church  in  1744,  and  who  seems 
to  have  absented  herself  from  the  church  and  its  or- 
dinances, "makes  an  acknowledgment  to  the  church 
for  her  separation  and  returns  to  our  Communion." 
A  similar  record  was  made  about  several  others. 
The  entry,  "Received  into  covenant  *  *  *  the 
church  being  satisfied,"  points  to  the  care  that  was 
taken  not  to  bring  unworthy  persons  into  any  cov- 
enant relation  with  the  church. 

The  list  of  marriages  is  an  interesting  one.  Some 
well  known  names  of  New  London  families  are  on 


148       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

it.     Mr.   Byles  married  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight  couples  during  his  ministry  in  New  London. 

The  only  council  of  which  there  is  any  record,  to 
which  the  church  was  invited,  during  this  pastorate, 
was  in  Groton.  The  minute  referring  to  it  is  as 
follows:  October  15,  1758.  "The  Brethren  of  the 
Church  were  stopped,  by  the  Pastor,  after  service 
in  the  Afternoon ;  and  a  letter  was  read  to  them 
from  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  Groton,  desiring 
their  countenance  and  Assistance  in  the  Installment 
of  the  Revd  Jonathan  Barber,  on  the  8th  of  No- 
vember next.  Voted,  that  the  church  comply  with 
their  request.  Voted,  that  Johsua  Hempstead  Esqr, 
accompany  the  Pastor  upon  this  occasion."  No- 
vember 5  the  following  vote  was  passed,  ''Joshua 
Hempstead  Esq.,  being  disabled  by  sickness  from 
attending  the  installment  at  Groton;  Pygan  Adams 
Esq.  was  delegated  in  his  Room."  Mr.  Adams  had 
been  chosen  deacon  the  previous  May. 

It  is  worth  while,  in  this  connection,  to  note  that 
at  this  point  we  are  beginning  to  come  into  that  at- 
mosphere of  fellowship,  peculiar  to  churches  of  the 
Congregational  order,  which  is  expressed  by  ad- 
visory councils.  The  record  just  quoted  is  the  first 
of  the  kind  which  appears  upon  the  books  of  the 
church,  and  probably  is  among  the  first  invitations 
of  the  sort  received  by  it. 

While  Mr.  Byles'  relations  to  his  people  were  of 
the  most  cordial  character,  his  ministry  here  was  not 
entirely  thornless.  There  were  still  Rogerenes  in 
the  town.     A  little  of  the  old  spirit,  which  had  so 


BYLES  JR.'S  MINISTRY.  149 

disturbed  Bradstreet  and  Saltonstall,  manifested  it- 
self. It  is  more  tlian  likely,  however,  that,  if  Mr. 
Byles  had  had  the  cool  judgment  and  poise  of  his 
predecessor,  the  outbreak  would  have  been  shorn 
of  many  of  its  most  annoying  features.  But  be  that 
as  it  may,  they  were  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  of  Mr. 
Byles ;  and  as  he  would  brook  no  interference  with 
the  services  of  the  sanctuary  upon  the  Lord's  day, 
and  manifested  his  displeasure  in  very  emphatic 
ways,  the  disturbance  grew  to  serious  proportions. 

It  was  in  the  year  1764  that  the  spirit  of  the 
founder  of  the  sect  began  to  stir  once  more  in  the 
hearts  of  his  later  followers.  They  began  to  issue 
forth  as  of  old,  on  Sundays  to  testify  against  what 
they  were  pleased  to  call  idolatry.  Now  began  a 
series  of  provocations  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  retal- 
iatory punishments  on  the  other  hand,  which  re- 
called the  days  when  the  founder  of  the  order  spent 
a  good  part  of  his  time  in  confinement.  This  out- 
break lasted  about  two  years,  when  it  seems  to  have 
spent  itself.  John  Rogers,  the  third  grandson  of 
the  founder  has  left  an  account  of  the  outbreak  in 
the  form  of  a  diary,  which  he  entitled,  "A  Looking 
Glass  for  the  Presbyterians  of  New  London :  to  see 
their  worship  and  worshippers  weighed  in  the  bal- 
ance and  found  wanting,  with  a  true  account  of  what 
the  people  called  Rogerenes  have  suffered  in  that 
town,  from  the  loth  day  of  June,  1764,  to  the  13th 
of  December  1766,  who  suffered  for  testifying — 

"That  it  was  contrary  to  scripture  for  ministers 
to  preach  the  gospel  for  hire. 


150       LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

''That  the  first  day  of  the  week  was  no  Sabbath 
by  God's  appointment — 

"That  sprinkUng  infants  is  no  baptism  and  noth- 
ing short  of  blasphemy,  being  contrary  to  the  ex- 
ample set  us  by  Christ  and  his  holy  apostles — 

"That  long  public  prayers  in  synagogues  is  for- 
bidden by  Christ. 

"Also  for  reproving  their  church  and  minister  for 
their  great  pride,  vain-glory,  and  friendship  of  the 
world  which  they  lived  in. 

"With  a  brief  discourse  in  favor  of  Women's 
prophecying  or  teaching  in  the  church."  This  was 
published  in  1767. 

Presbyterians  was  the  name  given  to  Congrega- 
tionalists.  The  foregoing  statement  shows  that  the 
fundamental  tenets  of  this  peculiar  sect  had  not 
changed.  Nor  had  the  spirit  with  which  they  wit- 
nessed against  what  they  were  pleased  to  call  er- 
rors. John  Rogers  made  the  following  entry  in  his 
diary  June  10,  1764,  the  day  on  which  this  latest 
Rogerene  demonstration  began.  "We  went  to  the 
meeting-house  and  some  of  our  people  went  in  and 
sat  down ;  others  tarried  without  and  sat  upon  the 
ground  some  distance  from  the  house.  And  when 
Mather  Byles,  their  priest  began  to  say  over  his  for- 
mal synagogue  prayer,  forbidden  by  Christ,  Mat. 
6-5,  some  of  our  women  began  to  knit,  others  to 
sew,  that  it  might  be  made  manifest  that  they  had 
no  fellowship  with  such  unfruitful  works  of  dark- 
ness. But  Justice  Coit  and  the  congregation  were 
much  offended  at  this  testimony  and  fell  upon  them 


BYLES  JR.'S  MINISTRY.  151 

in  the  very  time  of  their  prayer  and  pretended  di- 
vine worship ;  also  they  fell  upon  the  rest  of  our 
people  that  were  sitting  quietly  in  the  house,  mak- 
ing no  difference  between  them  that  transgressed 
this  law  and  them  that  transgressed  it  not ;  for  they 
drove  us  all  out  of  the  house  in  a  most  furious  man- 
ner; pushing,  striking,  kicking,  etc.,  so  that  the 
meeting  was  broken  up  for  some  time,  and  the 
house  in  great  confusion.  Moreover  they  fell,  upon 
our  friends  that  were  sitting  abroad,  striking  and 
kicking  both  men  and  women,  old  and  young,  driv- 
ing us  all  to  prison  in  a  furious  and  tumultuous 
manner,  stopping  our  mouths  when  we  went  to 
speak,  choaking  us,  etc."  This  account,  written 
by  one  of  their  own  number,  recalls  the  scenes  of 
seventy  or  eighty  years  before,  when  these  same 
people,  of  an  earlier  generation  used  to  disturb  the 
public  worship  under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Salton- 
stall,  and  called  it  witnessing  against  error.  Sim- 
ilar scenes  were  repeated  Sabbath  after  Sabbath, 
during  the  summer  of  1764.  The  offenders  were,  of 
course,  committed  to  jail.  Sometimes  twenty  or 
thirty  were  incarcerated  at  a  single  time.  If  one 
was  imprisoned  a  second  time  his  term  of  confine- 
ment was  doubled ;  the  magistrates  hoping  by  such 
severity  to  weary  the  offenders.  "But,"  says  John 
Rogers,  "this  method  added  no  peace  to  them,  for 
some  of  our  friends  were  always  coming  out  as  well 
as  going  in,  and  so  always  ready  to  oppose  their 
false  worship  every  first  day  of  the  week." 

By  August  12,  1764  the  process  of  doubling  had 


152       LATEE  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

increased  the  term  of  confinement  to  four  months. 
Those  who  were  in  the  prison  were  determined  to 
prevent  further  commitments,  if  possible.  They  hit 
upon  this  ingenious  plan  which  came  so  near  being 
successful  that  it  gave  the  officers  no  little  trouble. 
Finding  that  the  sheriffs  were  approaching  with  a 
new  party  of  their  friends,  they  stoutly  barred  the 
doors  on  the  inside.  John  Rogers  says,  "Also,  we 
blew  a  shell  in  prison,  in  defiance  of  their  idol  Sab- 
bath, and  to  mock  their  false  worship,  as  Elijah 
mocked  the  worshippers  of  Baal.  The  authority 
gave  orders  to  break  open  the  prison  door,  so  they 
went  to  work  and  labored  exceeding  hard  on  their 
Sabbath  cutting  with  axes  and  heaving  at  the  door 
with  iron  bars  for  a  considerable  time  till  they  were 
wearied,  but  could  not  break  open  the  door."  An 
entrance  from  above  was,  however,  finally  effected 
into  the  prison,  and  fresh  prisoners  were  let  down 
into  the  room.  This  was  in  August.  Those  who 
had  barred  the  doors  were  kept  in  confinement  till 
November,  when  they  were  taken  before  the  county 
court  and  fined  forty  shillings  and  the  costs. 

These  disturbances  continued  till  October,  1765, 
when  the  magistrates,  finding  that  all  other  efforts 
were  without  avail,  determined  to  resort  to  whip- 
pings— a  most  brutal  method  of  punishing  offences. 
October  15,  five  were  given  ten  lashes  each;  Oc- 
tober 23  nine  were  whipped  *'at  i  beat  of  drum ;" 
November  4,  four  more  suffered  the  same  punish- 
ment ;  November  14,  Thanksgiving  Day,  a  Roger- 
ene  was  driven  out  of  the  meeting-house  by  some 


BYLES  JR.'S  MINISTRY.  '  153 

young  men,  and  ducked  in  muddy  water,  and  then 
put  in  prison.  John  Rogers  records,  "Nov.  17. 
Some  of  our  friends  went  to  town,  and  an  old  man 
aged  73  years  cried  Repentance !  through  tlie  streets 
and  as  he  went  he  stopt  at  the  authorities  houses 
and  warned  them  of  the  danger  they  were  in,  if 
they  did  not  repent  of  their  persecuting  God's  peo- 
ple." This  party  were  arrested  and  confined  until 
evening,  when  they  were  taken  out  by  the  crowd 
and  treated  in  a  way  which  ought  not  to  have  been 
possible  in  a  Christian  community.  Warm  tar  was 
poured  over  the  heads  of  men  and  women  alike, 
which  ran  down  upon  their  clothes.  Their  hats 
were  thus  glued  upon  their  heads.  They  received 
other  cruel  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  infuriated 
mob.  But  this  made  no  difiference.  They  renewed 
their  witnessing  the  next  Sabbath,  and  continued 
it  from  week  to  week.  February  2,  1766  a  woman, 
who  was  turned  out  of  the  meeting  because  she  con- 
tinued the  use  of  her  needle  during  prayer,  struck 
several  blows  against  the  house  to  testify  against 
the  mode  of  worship.  February  16,  1766  another 
scene  of  whipping,  tarring,  and  throwing  men  and 
women  into  the  river  took  place.  The  next  Sunday 
the  Rogerenes  renewed  the  assault.  This  time 
there  were  ten  men  and  nine  women.  There  was  a 
great  uproar,  and  the  service  in  the  church  was  for  a 
considerable  time  broken  up.  The  women  were 
put  in  prison.  The  men  were  kept  in  the  loft  of  the 
court  house  till  evening,  when  they  were  delivered 
up  to  the  jury  of  Judge  Lynch — an  excited  populace 


154      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

— who  cruelly  scourged  them,  and  heaped  on  them 
such  abuses  as  only  a  street  mob  knows  how  to  in- 
vent. The  women  were  kept  in  confinement  until 
June — a  period  of  over  three  months — "leaving  near 
twenty  small  children  motherless  at  home."  Hap- 
pily this  was  the  climax  of  the  outbreaks  and  the 
punishments.  One  can  find  no  justification  of  the 
Rogerenes  for  their  wanton  and  riotous  conduct. 
But  what  shall  one  say  about  the  unutterable  cruel- 
ty heaped  upon  them  by  the  officers  of  the  law  and 
by  an  unreasoning  mob  in  the  sacred  names  of  Jus- 
tice and  Religion ! 

From  this  on  the  testifyings  of  the  Rogerenes 
were  less  boisterous  and  aggressive,  and  they  were 
less  roughly  dealt  with.  Their  chief  offence  now 
was  to  come  into  church  and  sit  with  their  hats  on. 
But  Mr.  Byles  would  never  suffer  the  offensive  cov- 
ering to  remain.  At  one  time,  as  the  officers  were 
inclined  to  let  the  wearers  alone,  so  long  as  they  did 
not  otherwise  make  disturbance,  he  declared,  with 
great  vehemence,  "I  solemnly  declare  before  God 
and  this  assembly  that  as  long  as  I  officiate  in  the 
priest's  office  in  this  house,  no  man  shall  sit  here 
with  his  head  covered."  John  Rogers  says,  "Now 
our  hats  is  such  an  offence  to  this  proud  priest  that 
he  will  neither  preach  nor  pray  when  they  are  in 
sight.  The  hat  he  can  not  endure,  pretending  it 
is  contrary  to  I  Cor.  11:4.  'every  man  praying  or 
prophecying  having  his  head  covered,  dishonoreth 
his  head.'  Now  if  this  priest  would  but  read  the 
next  words,  he  might  see  it  to  be  as  contrary  to 


BYLES  JR.'S  MINISTRY.  155 

scripture  for  women  to  pray  or  prophecy  uncovered, 
yet  his  meeting  is  full  of  young  women,  with  their 
heads  naked,  but  that  gives  him  no  ofifence  at  all, 
it  is  the  fashion  so  to  dress." 

These  people  were  quick  to  discover  Mr.  Byles' 
sensitiveness  as  to  their  weekly  visitations,  and 
equally  quick  to  seize  their  opportunity  to  annoy 
him.  This  they  could  do  in  ways  which  would  not 
throw  them  into  the  rough  hands  of  the  law.  Other 
ministers  in  the  neighborhood  took  their  weekly 
visitations  more  quietly,  and  were  therefore  less  fre- 
quently annoyed  by  them.  It  seems  to  have  been 
in  their  creed  that  the  emphasis  of  their  testimony 
was  to  be  measured  by  the  annoyance,  and  disturb- 
ance they  could  cause.  Therefore  they  did  not 
waste  time  or  thought  on  ministers  and  churches 
which  they  could  not  provoke  into  resisting  them, 
Mr.  Byles  was  their  man,  and  furnished  the  oppor- 
tunity which  they  sought.  He  would  hold  no  con- 
versation with  them,  nor  answer  them  when  they 
addressed  him  in  the  pulpit  or  on  the  street.  If 
they  appeared  on  the  steps  of  the  meeting-house,  he 
w^ould  pause,  and  refuse  to  go  on  till  they  were 
driven  off.  If  they  were  in  sight,  he  would  not 
leave  his  house  to  go  to  church,  until  they  disap- 
peared. They  were  quick  to  discover  this.  So  in- 
variably, on  Sabbath  morning,  they  would  enter  the 
town,  at  the  hour  for  the  bell  to  strike,  and  could 
often  be  seen  sitting  quietly  on  his  doorsteps,  or  by 
the  side  of  the  road  where  he  must  go  to  the  meet- 
ing-house, or  on  the  threshold  of  the  meeting-house 


156        LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

itself,  or  on  the  horse-block  nearby,  to  greet  his 
arrival.  So  it  often  happened,  during  this  outbreak, 
that  the  people  would  be  assembled  and  waiting  for 
the  pastor,  and  the  bell  would  toll  on  for  a  whole 
hour,  because  he  would  not  leave  his  house  till  the 
officers  of  the  law  came  to  drive  these  people  away, 
and  allow  him  to  go  undisturbed  to  service.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  his  extreme  sensitiveness,  and 
his  lordly  manner  of  treating  these  people,  aggra- 
vated and  prolonged  the  trouble.  These  weekly 
visits  to  the  churches  by  the  Rogerenes,  gradually 
ceased  at  last,  and  less  notice  of  them  was  taken 
when  they  occurred.  There  was  nothing  in  this 
course  to  stimulate  them.  It  did  not  encourage 
them  in  their  favorite  method  of  testifying.  They 
soon  relinquished  it  altogether.  This  was  the  last 
violent  outbreak.  Never  after  did  they  interfere 
with  the  worship  of  their  neighbors,  nor  were  they 
molested.  It  can  easily  be  seen  that  such  disturb- 
ances, so  violent  in  themselves,  and  met  with  meas- 
ures so  violent  and  often  cruel,  would  operate  to 
defeat  the  work  of  a  church,  deaden  its  spiritual  life, 
and  handicap  its  pulpit.  They  do  not  seem  ever  to 
have  disturbed  the  worship  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
An  entry  on  the  records  of  the  church  for  1761 
reads,  "J^^^^  ^^-  Admitted,  Rebecca  Byles,  by  dis- 
mission from  the  Second  Church  in  Roxbury." 
The  inference  is  that  Mr.  Byles  was  married  not 
long  before.  His  wife's  maiden  name  is  nowhere 
given.  Five  children  were  born  to  them  in  New 
London.     Rebecca  was  baptized  October  31,  1762; 


BYLES   JR.'S  MINISTRY.  157 

Mather,  April  8,  1764;  Walter,  August  4,  1765; 
Anna  and  Elizabeth,  May  10,  1767.  In  the  list  of 
those  who  were  baptized  by  Mr.  Byles,  the  names 
of  Walter  and  Anna  are  marked  by  a  star,  showing 
that  their  deaths  occurred  here  in  New  London,  in 
their  infancy.  For  in  less  than  a  year  after  the  bap-  > 
tism  of  the  last  two,  he  had  left  his  charge,  and  re- 
moved with  his  wife  and  three  children  from  New 
London,  to  take  up  work  in  a  church  of  a  different 
order. 

The  close  of  his  ministry  occasioned  the  only 
break  between  him  and  his  people  here.  It  had 
been  satisfactory  to  them,  and  in  the  main  pleas- 
ant to  him.  His  people  were  proud  of  him,  and 
in  spite  of  his  grand  and  magnificent  ways  ''he 
dwelt  with  them  in  harmony  and  peace."  April 
I,  1768,  without  previous  warning  of  any  sort,  he 
called  the  church  together,  declared  himself  a  con- 
vert to  Episcopacy,  and  requested  an  immediate 
release  from  them,  in  order  that  he  might  accept 
an  invitation  to  become  the  rector  of  an  Episcopal 
church  in  Boston.  The  people  could  not  have  been 
more  astounded  if  a  thunderbolt  had  shot  out  of  a 
cloudless  sky.  They  had  not  a  suspicion  of  any 
change  of  sentiment  on  his  part.  He  laid  before 
them  the  whole  case,  as  he  said.  He  had  received 
a  letter,  dated  March  8,  1768,  from  the  proper  of- 
ficials of  the  North  Church  in  Boston,  which  stated 
that  they  had  been  informed  that  he  was  disposed  to 
think  favorably  of  the  communion  of  the  English 
Church.     If  such  were  the  case  they  desired  to  en- 


158        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

gage  him  as  their  minister.  To  this  he  repHed  as 
follows:  "Gentlemen.  Nothing  could  give  me 
greater  surprise  than  yours  of  the  8th  inst.  How 
you  became  acquainted  with  my  particular  senti- 
ments with  regard  to  the  Church  of  England  I  am 
at  a  loss  to  determine.  But  upon  the  closest  and 
most  critical  examination,  I  frankly  confess  that 
for  several  years  past  I  have  had,  and  still  have, 
the  highest  esteem  for  that  venerable  church."  He 
concluded  by  requesting  them  to  make  definite  pro- 
posals, to  which  he  agreed  to  give  a  speedy  and 
decisive  answer.  This  was  followed  by  a  formal 
call,  and  the  of¥er  of  £200  a  year,  to  provide  him 
a  house,  and  to  be  at  the  expense  of  his  removal 
to  Boston,  and  of  a  visit  to  England  for  re-ordina- 
tion. This  letter  had  been  received  that  day,  April 
1st.  Mr.  Byles  added  that  this  call  was  not  of  his 
seeking,  that  the  hand  of  Providence  and  his  friends 
was  in  it,  that  here  was  opened  a  wider  sphere  of 
usefulness,  that  it  was  plainly  his  duty  to  go,  and 
much  more  to  the  same  effect.  The  brethren  of 
the  church  did  not  see  it  in  that  light.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  discussion  that  waxed  somewhat  hot.  He 
declared  that  he  had  no  objection  to  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  that  he  believed  it  to  be  a  true  church 
of  our  Lord,  that  he  had  not  changed  his  doctrinal 
views,  that  he  should  preach  in  the  new,  Episcopal 
pulpit,  the  very  sermons  which  he  had  preached  in 
the  old,  Congregational  pulpit.  But  his  views  as 
to  the  ritual  of  the  English  Church  had  changed. 
Being  pressed  for  further  reasons,  he  replied  that 


BYLES  JR.'S  MINISTRY.  159 

a  new  man  would  be  better  for  them,  that  his  health 
was  infirm,  and  the  climb  from  his  house  to  the 
church  on  the  bleak  hill  was  wearisome.  He  also 
complained  of  the  persecutions  and  annoyances 
which  he  had  suffered  from  the  Rogerenes.  And 
then  he  said  that  he  was  not  fitted  for  a  country 
minister,  and  that  his  friends  and  home  were  in 
Boston.  In  reply  it  was  urged  that  the  people 
loved  him,  that  he  was  popular  in  town,  that  the 
hill  was  no  more  bleak  or  tedious  now  than  it  had 
always  been,  and  that  the  Quakers  were  no  more 
troublesome,  in  fact  were  little  else  than  a  few  old 
women  sitting  at  his  gate  by  whom  it  was  foolish  to 
be  disturbed.  It  was  also  replied  that  though  his 
home  and  friends  were  in  Boston,  and  though  his 
salary  here  was  small  compared  with  that  offered 
him  now,  yet  he  had  accepted  their  call,  and  volun- 
tarily put  himself  under  obligations  to  walk  with 
them  and  watch  over  them  as  their  under-shepherd. 
In  the  course  of  the  discussion  some  pretty  sharp 
things  were  said  about  his  neglecting  pastoral  vis- 
itation, and  preaching  so  many  old  sermons,  in  or- 
der, it  was  intimated,  that  he  might  gain  time  to 
read  volumes  of  controversy.  They  reminded  him 
of-what  his  father  had  said  at  his  ordination  relative 
to  studying  and  watching  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  his  flock,  "that  his  candle  must  burn  when  mid- 
night darkness  covered  the  windows  of  the  neigh- 
borhood." They  further  intimated  that,  instead  of 
complying  with  his  father's  advice,  and  watching 


160      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

for  the  good  of  souls,  he  had  been  studying  rites 
and  ceremonies. 

The  debate  did  no  good.  It  only  widened  the 
breach  which  his  step  had  made.  The  next  day, 
April  2,  Mr.  Byles  renewed  his  request  for  dismis- 
sal in  due  form,  asking  for  "an  immediate  and  hon- 
orable dismission."  He  engaged  to  refund  the 
gratuity  of  £240  which  they  had  granted  him,  at 
his  settlement,  "in  case  you  give  me  this  day  such 
a  generous  discharge  as  I  have  now  desired,  and  put 
me  to  no  further  difficultv."  Nothinp-  further  was 
to  be  said.  It  was  useless  to  try  to  keep  a  man  who 
was  bound  to  go.  As  he  requested  an  immediate 
release  from  his  contract  as  their  minister,  his  wish 
was  complied  with  as  follows,  "Voted,  that  this  so- 
ciety do  fully  comply  with  his  request."  The  rec- 
ords of  the  church  are  equally  brief  and  explicit. 
"April  12,  1768.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Mather  Byles  Dis- 
mist  himself  from  the  Church  and  Congregation." 
The  people  washed  their  hands  of  the  whole  matter. 
They  had  not  wanted  him  to  go.  It  was  his  affair, 
not  theirs.  He  had  scarcely  asked  permission  to 
go.  He  simply  stated  to  them  the  decision  at 
which  he  had  arrived,  and  demanded  to  be  released 
from  his  contract.  He  did  not  seek  advice  from  the 
neighboring  churches,  which  had  been  consulted 
concerning  his  ordination.  He  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  go,  and  was  going.  His  departure  from 
town  was  almost  a  flight,  so  precipitate  was  it.  He 
conveyed  his  house  to  his  friend.  Dr.  Moffat,  the 
English  collector  of  customs  at  this  port,  in  pledge 


BYLES  JR.'S  MINISTRY.  161 

of  repayment  of  the  £240,  and,  before  another  Sab- 
bath, was  ready  to  depart  for  Newport,  on  Saturday. 
But  the  vessel  was  delayed,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
remain  over  the  Sabbath.  He  ofifered  to  preach  a 
last  sermon  to  his  old  people,  but  his  offer  was  de- 
clined. However,  he  climbed  the  hill  once  more 
to  the  meeting-house  where  he  had  so  long  minis- 
tered to  an  admiring  congregation  and  sat  a  de- 
jected listener.  Never  had  he  been  more  deeply 
and  ardently  loved,  than  when  his  request  for  dis- 
mission took  his  church  by  surprise.  But  in  one 
week  a  great  and  impassable  gulf  opened  between 
him  and  his  people,  and  they  parted  from  him  with- 
out regret. 

The  steps  which  led  Mr.  Byles  to  this  change  are 
nowhere  stated.  But  there  is  room  for  pretty  safe 
conjecture.  Mr.  Graves,  the  Episcopal  rector,  as 
we  have  seen,  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  coming  of 
Mr.  Byles  to  New  London.  They  were  near  neigh- 
bors. Mr.  Graves  lived  almost  opposite  Mr.  Byles, 
on  the  same  street.  It  is  more  than  possible  that 
they  had  held  conversations  together  on  the  sub- 
ject of  church  order;  that  Mr.  Graves  loaned  him 
the  books  which  he  read,  while  his  people  thought 
he  ought  to  have  been  attending  to  his  duties  as 
their  pastor,  calling  more  frequently  upon  his  flock, 
giving  more  time  to  his  preparations  for  the  pulpit^ 
and  preaching  fewer  old  sermons.  Nor  can  there 
be  much  doubt  that  the  North  Church  in  Boston 
heard  of  his  leaning  toward  the  Church  of  England 
from  the  same  source — the  rector  of  Saint  James'  in 


162      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

New  London.  Dr.  Hallam,  remarking  upon  the 
sudden  change  in  Mr.  Byles'  sentiments,  says  that 
the  steps  leading  to  it  are  not  known.  But  he  adds, 
''he  was  a  near  neighbor  of  Mr.  Graves,  hving  al- 
most opposite  the  parsonage,  and  it  is  possible  there 
had  been  communication  with  him  on  the  subject." 

This  change  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Byles  soon  be- 
came known  throughout  New  England.  It  called 
forth  remarks,  explanations,  and  insinuations  on 
both  sides.  The  church  thus  summarily  and  rudely 
forsaken  did  not  sit  down  to  brood  over  their  loss. 
Nor  was  his  action  relished  in  the  town.  Dr.  Hal- 
lam  says  that  "lampoons  were  written,  and  songs 
were  sung."  One  embodying  all  the  facts  w^as 
composed,  entitled  "The  Proselyte."  It  was  sung 
about  the  town  to  the  tune  of  the  "Thief  and  Cor- 
delier." There  was  also  published  a  ''wonderful 
dream"  in  which  the  spirit  of  the  venerable  Increase 
Mather,  the  great  grandfather  of  Mr.  Byles,  was 
represented  as  rebuking  his  descendant  for  apostacy 
from  Puritanism. 

Mr.  Byles  went  to  England  to  receive  Episcopal 
ordination,  and  returned  to  Boston,  where  he  la- 
bored as  a  clergyman  of  the  English  Church,  till  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Revolution.  He  received  the 
degree  of  D.  D.,  from  Oxford.  Like  his  father 
he  was  a  royalist.  As  Mr.  Graves  was  also  a  royal- 
ist so  pronounced  that  his  people  literally  drove 
him  from  the  pulpit  of  Saint  James,  the  query  arises 
whether  he  influenced  Mr.  Byles  to  be  a  royalist 
as  well  as  an  Episcopalian.     At  any  rate  Mr.  Byles 


BYLES  JR.'S   MINISTRY.  163 

was  a  refugee,  and  was  one  of  those  prohibited  from 
returning  to  the  state  by  act  of  the  legislature  of 
Massachusetts,  passed  in  September  1788.  He 
went  to  Saint  Johns,  N.  B.,  where  he  became  the 
rector  of  Trinity  Church  in  1791,  in  which  office  he 
remained  till  he  died  March  12,  1814,  aged  seventy- 
nine  years  and  two  months. 


VI . 

MINISTRY   OP   EPHRAIM    WOODBRIDGK. 
October  11,  1769— September  6,  1776. 


The  interval  between  Mr.  Byles  and  his  successor 
was  a  year  and  a  half.     Mr.  Byles  left  April   I2, 

1768.  Mr.  Woodbridge  was  ordained  October  11, 

1769.  There  is  no  record  to  show  how  the  pulpit 
was  supplied  during  this  interval. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee to  look  up  a  suitable  man  to  become  the  pas- 
tor of  the  church,  nor  of  a  call  issued.  But  we 
know,  from  the  account  which  Mr.  Woodbridge  has 
left  of  his  ordination,  that  he  received  a  call  from 
the  church  and  society  in  due  form,  and  that  he 
accepted  it  by  a  letter  which  was  read,  in  connection 
with  the  votes  of  the  church  and  society,  at  his  or- 
dination. Nor  do  we  know  what  salary  was  offered 
him.  But  it  is  safe  to  presume  that  it  was  not 
much,  if  any,  less  than  had  been  given  his  predeces- 
sor. Nor  have  we  any  account  of  the  way  in  which 
the  attention  of  the  church  and  society  was  called 
to  him,  as  a  possible  candidate.  But  as  his  grand- 
father had  been  the  first  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Groton,  where  he  was  born  and  reared,  their  means 
of  learning  about  him  and  his  qualifications  would 
be  ample  and  sufficient. 


woodbridge's  ministry.  165 

We  have  definite  knowledge  of  the  methods  by 
which  Mr.  Woodbridge's  salary  was  raised.  For 
the  first  parish  record,  which  can  be  found  bears 
date  of  March  i,  1776.  At  the  meeting  on  that 
day  it  was  voted  that  there  be  levied  "a  Rate  of  3d 
on  the  Pound  on  Polls  and  Rateable  Estate  of  the 
Inhabitants  of  this  Society  for  the  Payment  of  Mr. 
Woodbridge's  Salary  and  Other  Incident  Charges 
of  said  Society."  Mr.  Adam  Shapley  was  "Chosen 
collector  to  collect  said  Rate."  At  an  adjourned 
meeting,  Mr.  Shapley  having  declined  to  serve  in 
this  capacity,  Mr.  George  Douglas  was  chosen  in 
his  place.  These  rates  were  not  voluntary,  but 
compulsory.  The  collector  was  empowered  with 
legal  authority  to  collect  the  rates  of  delinquent  tax- 
payers by  process  of  law.  This  was  not  pleasant 
business ;  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  men  were  of- 
ten loth  to  undertake  it.  Compulsory  support  of 
the  gospel  was  not  unattended  with  serious  difficul- 
ties. It  certainly  does  not  savor  much  of  the  spirit 
of  the  gospel,  to  compel  men  to  support  it.  But 
our  fathers  were  brought  up  in  such  a  school,  and 
had  not  yet  learned  the  better  way. 

It  will  help  us  to  a  juster  appreciation  of  the  man 
himself,  and  his  qualifications,  if  we  trace  his  an- 
cestry. It  may  be  said  in  general,  that  he  was  con- 
nected, in  direct  line,  with  all  the  Woodbridges,  who 
figured  somewhat  conspicuously  in  the  colonial 
times.  He  was  in  a  line  which  could  boast  an  un- 
broken succession  of  worthy  and  distinguished  min- 
isters, reaching  back  into  England.     In  direct  line- 


166        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

age  Rev.  Ephraim  Woodbridge  was  descended  from 
Rev.  John  Woodbridge  of  Stanton,  in  Wiltshire, 
England,  who  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Robert  Parker,  a  noted  nonconformist  divine.  Rev 
John  Woodbridge  was  rector  of  the  church  in  Stan- 
ton, where  he  died  December  9,  1637.  Among  oth- 
er children  he  had  Rev.  John  Woodbridge,  who  was 
born  in  Stanton  in  1613.  He  studied  at  Oxford. 
In  1634  he  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  conformity, 
and  came  to  America  with  his  uncle.  Rev.  Thomas 
Parker  in  the  ship  Mary  and  John.  He  settled  at 
Newbury,  Mass.  He  married  Mercy,  the  daughter 
of  Governor  Thomas  Dudley,  a  sister  of  Ann  Brad- 
street  in  the  year  1639.  After  holding  various  sec- 
ular offices,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  church 
at  North  Andover,  October  24,  1645.  I"  1647  he 
returned  to  England  where  he  resided  sixteen  years 
and  then  returned  to  Newbury  in  New  England, 
and  was  assistant  to  his  uncle,  Rev.  Thomas  Parker 
till  November  21,  1670,  when  dissensions  in  the 
church  caused  his  dismissal.  He  was  afterwards 
assistant  of  the  colony  till  1683.  He  died  at  New- 
bury on  Sunday,  March  17,  1695.  He  had  Lucy, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Simon  Bradstreet,  the 
third  minister  of  this  church.  She  was  also,  it  is 
said,  the  ancestress  of  Rev.  W.  E.  Channing,  D.  D., 
Richard  H.  Dana,  and  other  distinguished  persons. 
He  also  had  John  who  was  born  about  1644, 
probably  at  Newbury.  He  graduated  from  Har- 
vard in  1664.  He  began  to  preach  at  Killingworth, 
now  Clinton,  Conn,  where  he  was  ordained  April  7, 


woodbridge's  ministry.  167 

1669.  October  26,  1671,  he  married  Abigail, 
daugliter  of  Governor  William  Leete  of  the  New 
Haven  Colony.  He  left  Killingworth  in  1679  and 
was  installed  over  the  church  in  Wethersfield,  where 
he  continued  till  he  died,  November  13,  1691.  He 
was  brother  of  the  noted  Timothy  Woodbridge  of 
the  First  Church  of  Hartford,  who  was  present 
here  at  the  installation  of  Gurdon  Saltonstall  in 
1691,  and  of  Rev.  Eliphalet  Adams  in  1709. 

His  son,  Rev.  Ephraim  Woodbridge,  was  born 
in  Wethersfield,  June  25,  1680.  He  was  graduated 
from  Harvard  College  in  1701.  He  was  ordained 
as  first  pastor  of  the  first  church  in  Groton,  Nov- 
ember 9,  1704.  May  4  of  the  same  year,  six  months 
before  his  ordination,  he  married  Hannah,  daughter 
of  Captain  John  Morgan  of  Groton.  "He  held  con- 
siderable landed  property  in  the  South  Eastern  part 
of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Ledyard ;  some  portions 
of  this  property  are  still  (1882)  occupied  and  farmed 
by  his  descendants  in  the  female  line.  His  church, 
or  meeting-house  was  not  far  from  what  is  now 
Groton  center,  and  his  homestead  a  mile  or  two 
distant  therefrom,  in  a  north-easterly  direction,  upon 
the  road  leading  northward  past  the  old  Rogerene 
meeting  house."  [Woodbridge  Record,  p.  21.] 
His  will  shows  that  he  died  possessed  of  considera- 
ble property.  His  death  occurred  December  i, 
1725,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  and  after  a  pas- 
torate in  Groton  of  twenty-one  years.  He  was  bur- 
ied in  the  old  Pequonnock  grave  yard,  a  little  to 
the  northward  of  the  highway  between  Groton  and 


168        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

Mystic.     Upon  the  stone  which  marks  his  grave 
is  this  inscription : 

Here  lies  interred 

The  body  of  the  Reverend 

Mr.   Ephraim  Woodbridge, 

First  pastor  of  the 

Church  in  Groton 

Who  died  December  ye  first  1725 

Aetatis  Sui  45. 

He  had  seven  children,  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. None  of  his  sons  entered  the  ministry,  but  his 
daughter,  Mary,  born  in  171 9,  married  Rev.  Heze- 
kiah  Bissell  of  Bloomfield.  She  died  in  Windsor 
in  1796,  aged  seventy-seven.  His  second  son  was 
Captain  Paul,  the  father  of  Ephraim  Woodbridge 
of  this  church.  Paul  Woodbridge  was  born  in 
Groton  March  12,  1708.  In  early  life  he  seems 
to  have  gone  to  South  Kingston,  R.  I.,  where 
he  married  Sarah  Goodridge,  of  that  town,  July  5, 
1737.  He  followed  the  sea  in  his  earlier  years 
Later  in  life  he  purchased  and  conducted  a  large 
tannery  which  in  1882,  still  stood  near  the  bridge 
in  upper  Mystic.  His  house  was  opposite  the  tan- 
nery, in  an  angle  of  the  road,  southeast  of  the 
church.  [Woodbridge  Record,  p.  35.]  His  will 
was  drawn  and  duly  signed  and  sealed  April  2.^, 
1774.  The  records  of  the  county  of  New  London 
show  that  two  of  the  witnesses  to  the  will  appeared 
before  Benadam  Gallup,  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Groton,  September  16,  1778  and  made  oath  to  the 
fact  ''that  they  saw  Capt.  Paul  Woodbridge,  the 


woodbridge's  ministry.  169 

above  Testator  sign,  seal  and  heard  him  pubHsh 
and  pronounce  the  same  to  be  his  last  will  and  Tes- 
tament." His  sons  Ephraim  and  Paul  were  ap- 
pointed executors.  Ephraim  was  also  a  legatee,  as 
this  item  shows ;  'T  give  and  bequeath  to  my  be- 
loved son  Ephraim  Woodbridge,  besides  what  I 
have  already  given  him  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds 
lawful  money."  But  the  father  outlived  the  son 
over  two  years,  so  that  the  latter  neither  adminis- 
tered the  father's  estate,  nor  received  the  legacy. 
Captain  Paul  Woodbridge  died  November,  1778. 
He  lies  ''buried  in  what  is  known  as  the  Wood- 
bridge,  burying-ground,  upon  a  portion  of  the  Old 
Ephraim  Woodbridge  Estate  not  far  from  his  old 
homestead." 

Rev.  Ephraim  Woodbridge,  the  second  son,  and 
the  fourth  child  of  Captain  Paul  was  born  in  Grot- 
on,  probably  in  the  homestead  of  his  father,  in  up- 
per Mystic,  but  on  the  Groton  side  of  the  river, 
June  20,  1746.  He  graduated  from  Yale  College 
in  1765.  He  was  ordained  over  the  church  in  New 
London  October  11,  1769.  Upon  the  stone  which 
marks  his  grave  in  the  ancient  burying  ground,  he  is 
called  the  sixth  pastor  of  this  church.  This  is  cor- 
rect, if  the  name  of  Mr.  Bulkeley,  who  never  was 
settled  here,  is  omitted.  Miss  Caulkins  says,  that 
on  *'the  monumental  tablet  to  his  memory  ^  *  *  he 
is  called  'the  sixth  pastor  of  the  First  Congregation- 
al Church  of  New  London.'  He  was  more  accur- 
ately the  seventh  pastor,  and  fifth  ordained  minis- 
ter.    The  order  of  succession  is  Blinman,  Bulkeley, 


170      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

Bradstreet,  Saltonstall,  Adams,  Byles,  Wood- 
bridge."  Miss  Caulkins  is  in  error  in  not  reckon- 
ing Mr.  Blinman  as  an  ordained  minister.  He  re- 
ceived his  ordination  in  England,  and  was  accepted 
by  the  church  when  it  was  gathered  in  Gloucester, 
as  an  already  ordained  clergyman. 

Mr.  Woodbridge  has  left  the  following  record 
of  his  ordination  as  pastor  of  the  church.  ''Records 
of  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  London  kept 
by  Ephm  Woodbridge.  1769,  October  11,  I  was 
ordained  to  the  pastoral  ofifice  over  the  first  Church 
of  Christ  in  New  London.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Benj. 
Throop  Introduced  the  Business  of  the  day  by 
Reading  the  Votes  of  the  church  and  society  Re- 
lating to  the  calls,  with  my  answer.  The  Revd 
Mr.  Joseph  Fish  made  the  first  prayer;  The  Revd 
Mr.  Levi  Hart  preached  a  sermon  suited  to  the  oc- 
casion from  I  Cor.  2:  13;  The  Revd  Mr.  William 
Hart  prayed  previous  to  the  charge ;  The  Revd 
Mr.  Benjamin  Lord  gave  the  charge ;  The  Revd 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Eells  prayed  after  the  charge ;  and 
the  Revd  Mr.  David  Jewett  gave  the  Right  Hand 
of  fellowship ;  and  I  the  Psalm  and  Blessing." 
With  the  exception  of  a  charge  to  the  people,  which 
seems  not  to  have  been  given,  this  reads  like  the 
records  of  a  modern  ordination.  The  men  who  had 
the  parts  were  all  from  the  neighboring  churches. 
Mr.  Throop  was  from  Bozrah ;  Mr.  Joseph  Fish 
was  from  North  Stonington ;  Mr.  Levi  Hart  D.  D. 
was  from  the  church  in  Griswold ;  Mr.  William 
Hart  was  from  Old  Saybrook ;  Mr,  Benjamin  Lord 


woodbridge's  ministry.  171 

was  from  the  church  in  Norwich;  Mr.  Nath- 
aniel Eells  was  from  the  church  in  Stonington; 
and  Mr.  David  Jewett  was  from  the  North  Parish 
of  New  London,  now  Montville.  The  pastorates, 
represented  on  this  council  were  remarkable.  Six 
were  for  life.  The  shortest,  that  of  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Eells,  was  twenty-four  years.  The  longest,  that  of 
Mr.  Lord,  was  sixty-seven  years.  The  others 
ranged  between  forty-four  and  forty-nine  years. 
These  long  pastorates  point  to  the  stable  character 
of  the  churches  in  Southeastern  Connecticut. 

Mr.  Woodbridge  was  now  the  regularly  or- 
dained pastor  of  the  church.  Fifteen  days  later, 
October  26,  1769,  he  was  married,  by  the  Rev. 
David  Jewett  of  Montville,  to  Mary,  the  only  sur- 
viving daughter  of  Captain  Nathaniel  and  Tem- 
perance Harris  Shaw.  She  was  born  in  the  autumn 
of  1 75 1.  For  her  baptism,  by  Rev.  Eliphalet 
Adams,  is  recorded  October  6  of  that  year.  So 
that  she  was  just  passed  eighteen  at  the  date  of  her 
marriage.  The  union  seems  to  have  been  an  ex- 
tremely happy  one.  They  went  to  house-keeping 
at  once  in  a  house  which  Captain  Shaw  gave  to  his 
daughter.  It  stood  on  Main  street,  opposite  the 
head  of  Hallam  street,  and  next  north  of  the  resi- 
dence of  the  late  Sidney  Miner.  Captain  Shaw 
built  it  in  1756  "expressly  for  the  occupancy  of  his 
daughter,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Ephraim  Woodbridge." 
The  house  which  stood  originally  upon  this  spot 
must  have  been  removed.  For,  according  to  Dr. 
Hallam,  Mr.  Christophers  lived  in  a  house  stand- 


172      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH 

ing  here,  when  ''that  awful  affair  of  books  and 
clothes,  at  New  London"  took  place  Sunday  even- 
ing, March  6,  1743.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge,  his  house  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Edward 
Hallam,  and  it  became  known  as  the  Hallam 
House.  It  w^as  also  known  as  the  Long  Piazza 
House.  But  as  the  piazza  encroached  upon  the 
street,  this  distinctive  feature  of  it  was  removed 
early.  On  one  of  the  window  panes  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  engraved  this  sentiment,  as  expressive  of  his 

feelings  on  the  day  when  they  set  up  house-keep- 
ing. 

"Ephraim  W^oodbridge 
Hie  Vixit. 
P       '     Hail  happy  day!   the  fairest  sun  that  ever  rose. 

1769." 

Mr.  Woodbridge  was  but  twenty-three  years  of 
age  when  he  assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  church. 
He  had  a  difificult  task  before  him.  A  growing  in- 
difference to  the  claims  of  religion,  and  to  the  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel,  resulted  from  the  practice  of 
the  halfway  covenant,  especially  during  the  pre- 
vious pastorate.  Two  had  been  received  into  the 
church,  during  the  interval  between  him  and  Mr, 
Byles — Mr.  Nathaniel  Bailey  and  his  wife  Eliza- 
beth, from  the  church  in  Groton.  The  member- 
ship of  the  church  was  very  much  reduced. 

During  his  ministry,  Mr.  Woodbridge  received 
but  eighteen  into  the  church ;  two  males,  Mr. 
Amasa  Learned  and  Mr.  Guy  Richards,  and  six- 
teen  females.     These   meagre   results   were   partly 


woodbridge's  ministry.  173 

due  to  his  absolute  refusal  to  practice  receiving 
members,  and  baptizing  children,  on  the  plan  of 
the  halfway  covenant.  There  are  evidences  that  he 
had  a  controversy  with  his  people  over  this  ques- 
tion. Only  a  very  few  sympathized  with  him,  but 
he  stood  his  ground.  His  personal  popularity,  to- 
gether with  the  general  indifference  to  religion, 
helped  him  to  hold  his  position.  He  insisted  that 
persons  who  were  received  into  the  church  should 
have  an  experience  of  renewing  grace  and  make  a 
public  confession  of  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
nor  would  he  recognize  any  church  membership 
which  was  not  justified  by  evidences  of  a  change  of 
heart.  This  doubtless  kept  many  from  joining  the 
church. 

Dr.  Field  says  [Bicentennial  Sermon,  p.  28.] 
"He  was  strenuously  opposed  to  this  half-way  cov- 
enant, as  it  was  called,  and  wrote  against  it,  and 
convinced  many  of  its  impropriety.  He  thought 
that  parents,  in  order  to  take  upon  them  in  this 
public  manner,  christian  vows  in  reference  to  the 
nurture  of  their  children,  should  be  christians  them- 
selves, not  half-way  christians,  but  whole  christians. 
Mr.  Woodbridge  held  that  opinion,  and  refused  to 
baptize  the  children  of  those  who  were  not  in  full 
communion  with  the  church.  This  awakened  a 
great  deal  of  feeling,  and  a  great  deal  of  opposition 
to  him.  A  committee  was  appointed  by  the  society, 
consisting  of  Jeremiah  Miller,  Russell  Hubbard  and 
Dr.  Thomas  Coit,  to  make  a  statement  of  the  griev- 
ances   subsisting    between    the    society    and    Mr, 


174      LATER  HISTORY   OP   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

Woodbridge,  and  lay  it  before  the  society  for  their 
action.  The  report  of  this  committee  is  of  course 
not  on  the  church  records,  but  on  the  society's  book. 
It  is  a  long  report  containing  a  criticism  of  the  main 
points  of  theology,  as  presented  by  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  in  his  ministrations.  It  shows  that  the  per- 
son who  wrote  it  had  studied  the  Calvinistic  and 
Arminian  systems  of  theology,  and  was  himself  a 
thorough  Arminian.  The  committee  argue,  also, 
the  subject  of  the  half-w^ay  covenant,  and  endeavor 
to  show  the  error  of  Mr.  Woodbridge's  views.  Not 
many  in  our  churches,  now-a-days,  have  entered  so 
fully  into  the  study  of  theology  as  this  committee. 
But  when  the  report  was  presented  to  the  society, 
and  the  question  put  whether  it  was  acceptable,  it 
was  voted  by  a  small  majority  that  it  was  not.  So 
the  society  stood  by  Mr.  Woodbridge,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  preach  the  Calvinistic  doctrines,  and  op- 
pose the  half-way  covenant." 

The  same  question  came  before  the  church,  in 
the  following  form.  "March  lo,  [1774]  att  a  legal 
church  meeting  The  Question  being  put  to  the 
Brethren  whether  they  understood  the  church  cov- 
enant (which  persons  consent  to  previous  to  their 
admission  to  special  ordinances)  to  Imply  a  profes- 
sion of  saving  faith.  Voted  in  ye  affirmative.  The 
Question  was  then  put  whether  the  Brethren  ap- 
proved of  said  Covenant.  Voted  in  ye  affirmative." 
The  pastor  was  sustained  by  the  parish.  The  vote  of 
the  church  was  evidently  opposed  to  his  views  and 
practice.    However,  he  did  not  change  his  course.  It 


woodbridge's  ministry.  175 

is  evidence  of  his  strong  hold  upon  the  hearts  of  his 
people,  who  did  not  agree  with  him,  that  he  could 
and  did  set  aside  their  vote,  and  treat  the  church 
covenant  referred  to  as  unsatisfactory,  and  as  not 
implying  a  profession  of  saving  faith.  In  spite  of 
this  radical  conflict  of  opinion  he  was  beloved  and 
esteemed  by  them. 

At  the  death  of  Mr.  Woodbridge  there  were  at 
least  ten  male  and  forty-five  female  members. 
Miss  Caulkins  says  that  "at  the  time  of  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge's  death  there  were  but  five  male  members 
in  his  church."  A  list  given  May  17,  1787  shows 
this  to  be  wrong. 

So  that,  if  the  church  had  not  had  large  numer- 
ical growth,  during  Mr.  Woodbridge's  ministry,  it 
had  held  its  own  in  spite  of  the  adverse  circum- 
stances against  which  he  had  to  contend.  The  spir- 
itual decline  into  which  the  church  was  surely  go- 
ing was  due  to  no  lack  of  faithfulness  on  his  part. 
He  was  faithful  unto  death.  The  conditions  were 
unpromising  throughout  New  England.  Piety  was 
at  a  low  ebb,  and  was  destined  to  sink  still  lower. 

Mr.  Woodbridge  baptized  no  children  of  parents 
who  were  not  members  of  the  church ;  nor  did  he 
baptize  any  adults,  who  had  not  been  baptized  in 
infancy,  only  as  an  act,  on  their  part,  of  public  pro- 
fession of  faith  in  Christ,  and  of  entering  into  full 
fellowship  with  his  people.  Thus  his  ministry  wa^ 
an  emphatic  protest  against  the  halfway  covenant, 
whose  practice  had  been  in  use  in  the  church  for 
more  than  an  hundred  years.     It  is  not  strange  if 


176      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

his   opposition  to  a  practice  which  had  held  the 
ground  so  long,  made  little  headway. 

He  baptized  one  hundred  and  one  persons.  Dur- 
ing his  pastorate  Rev.  Mr.  Throop  baptized  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Martha  Manwaring  June 
12,  1774,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Grover  a  daughter  of  Pem- 
ber  and  Chappil  Caulkins,  June  25,  1775.  Evi- 
dently here  were  cases  of  decided  dissent  from 
the  views  and  practice  of  the  pastor.  Neither  Mr. 
Manwaring  nor  his  wife  were,  at  the  time,  members 
of  the  church.  For  this  reason  Mr.  Woodbridge 
refused  to  baptize  their  child.  Here  was  a  pro- 
nounced and  open  conflict.  As  the  pastor  would 
not  yield,  a  neighboring  minister  was  secured,  and 
an  alienation  was  caused  between  Mr.  Manwaring 
and  his  pastor,  which  did  not  grow  less.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  parish  held  March  25,  1776,  the 
question  "whether  Mr.  David  Manwaring  shall  be 
excused  from  paying  his  Tax  towards  what  is  due 
from  this  society  to  the  Revd  Mr.  Woodbridge  to- 
wards his  Salary.  Voted  in  the  negative."  At  the 
same  meeting  the  question  was  put  "Whether  Mr. 
David  Manwaring  shall  be  excused  from  being 
Taxed  by  this  society  for  the  future  towards  the 
Payment  of  Revd  Mr.  Woodbridge's  Salary.  Vo- 
ted in  the  negative."  So  Mr.  David  Manwaring 
had  to  pay.  He  probably  had  a  grievance  against 
the  pastor,  on  account  of  his  refusal  to  baptize  his 
daughter  under  the  halfway  covenant.  But  he  was 
soon  released  from  all  obligation  in  this  regard. 
For  in  the  following  September  Mr.  Woodbridge 


woodbridge's  ministry.  177 

had  been  called  to  lay  down  his  earthly  labors,  and 
enter  on  his  eternal  rewards.  These  facts  furnish  a 
hint  as  to  the  opposition  which  he  met,  But  it  is 
refreshing  to  know  that  he  stood  firm  to  the  end. 

Several  entries  on  the  records  seem  to  bear  upon 
this  question  of  the  use  of  the  halfway  covenant,  and 
all  point  conclusively  to  the  pronounced  stand 
which  Mr.  Woodbridge  took  against  it.  Thus  Feb- 
ruary II,  1770  he  makes  this  record,  "admitted  to 
full  communion  Elizabeth  Shapley  and  Mary  Sal- 
tonstall."  Other  similar  entries  follow  which  seem 
to  point  to  the  fact  that  these  were  baptized  chil- 
dren of  the  church,  but  not  admitted  to  its  full  priv- 
ileges until  they  had  experienced  a  change  of  heart. 

Another  entry  pointing  to  a  degree  of  discipline, 
is  as  follows:  "April  6,  [1770]  Mr.  John  Hemp- 
stead signified  his  desire  of  Returning  to  ye  com- 
mvmion  and  Fellowship  of  ye  chh.,  and  was  unan- 
imously Received  by  declaring  if  his  conduct  in 
Withdrawing  and  continuing  so  long  in  a  state  of 
sepperation,  had  given  offence  to  any  of  ye  Breth- 
ren he  was  sorry  for  it."  He  had  joined  the  church 
June  21,  1 74 1,  as  a  fruit  of  the  Great  Awakening. 
It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  he  had  separated  him- 
self from  the  church  on  account  of  the  abuses  which 
drove  out  the  Separates,  and  now  that  there  was  a 
pastor  who  resolutely  refused  to  practice  the  ob- 
noxious halfway  covenant,  he  wished  to  return  to 
his  fellowship  with  the  church.  The  fact  that  he 
was  chosen  to  be  a  deacon  the  September  after 
his  return,  to  which  office  he  was  set  apart  No- 


178       LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

vember  17  of  the  same  year,  would  seem  to  point 
out  that  he  had  in  no  way  compromised  his  Chris- 
tian character  by  scandalous  living.  Another  sim- 
ilar case  is  the  following:  "Jan  7,  [1773]  Thomas 
Miner  returned  to  Communion  with  ye  Church 
The  Brethren  being  satisfied."  He  also  was  a  fruit 
of  the  Great  Awakening,  and  had  joined  the  church 
May  2y,  1 741.  If  we  are  right  in  our  conjecture 
that  these  two  brethren  had  left  the  church  be- 
cause they  could  not  tolerate  the  loose  practices 
concerning  baptism,  and  admission  to  the  Lord's 
Supper,  then  it  was  some  compensation  to  Mr. 
Woodbridge,  in  the  midst  of  the  opposition  which 
he  met  in  seeking  to  do  away  with  these  loose  prac- 
tices, that  these  two  brethren  were  brought  back 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  church,  by  the  firm  stand 
which  he  took. 

He  records  seventy-one  marriages. 

Mary,  his  wife,  died  of  consumption  June  10, 
1775,  in  the  twenty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  He  did 
not  long  survive  her. 

The  spiritual  trend  of  the  church,  when  Mr. 
Woodbridge  became  its  pastor  was  towards  world- 
iiness,  indifference,  and  unbelief.  It  was  the  be- 
ginning of  a  period  which  was  fruitful  in  infidelity 
and  spiritual  decline  throughout  the  churches.  A 
general  indifference  to  religion  affected  the  town. 
A  universal  financial  embarrassment  added  its  in- 
fluence. The  Episcopal  Church  had  declined. 
The  Baptist  Church  which  had  been  formed  in  the 
early  part  of  the  century  had  ceased  to  exist.     This 


woodbridge's  ministry.  179 

church  seemed  to  lack  vigor  sufficient  to  attempt 
the  task  of  securing  a  pastor.  They  were  content 
to  Uve  from  hand  to  mouth,  or  go  unfed.  The 
preaching  was  formal.  Prayer  and  conference 
meetings  were  not  held.  Family  worship  was  pret- 
ty generally  discontinued.  These  tendencies 
against  which  Mr.  Woodbridge  set  himself,  became 
stronger.  The  darkness  was  gathering  before  his 
ministry  began.  He  did  all  in  his  power  to  shed 
the  light  of  a  pure,  evangelical  gospel,  upon  the 
scene.  But  one  might  as  well  have  attempted  to 
stop  the  flow  of  Niagara  with  a  dam  of  gossamer. 
The  practice  of  the  halfway  covenant  which  had  held 
the  floor  for  nearly  a  century,  and  the  war  with 
England  which  had  already  broken  out,  when  he 
died,  were  too  much.  The  tide  swept  on.  His  frail 
body  was  the  tenement  of  a  great  spirit.  The  latter 
was  willing  but  the  former  was  weak.  The  insid- 
ious disease  which  had  robbed  him  of  his  beloved 
wife  was  already  preying  upon  him.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  condition  of  the  church  which, 
in  spite  of  all  he  could  do  he  saw  growing  contin- 
ually worse,  helped  to  hasten  its  ravages.  And  so 
September  6,  1776,  after  a  pastorate  of  seven  years, 
lacking  one  month  and  five  days,  and  two  months 
and  seven  days  after  the  declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, his  eyes  were  shut  to  the  gathering  darkness, 
and  opened  to  the  eternal  light.  The  simple  rec- 
ord on  the  books  of  the  church  is  "1776  *  *  *  Sep. 
6  Mr.  Woodbridge  died."  He  lies  by  the  side  of 
his  wife,  and  of  Captain  and  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Shaw 


180       LATER  HISTORY   OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

on  our  Ancient  Burial  Hill.     On  the  tablet  which 
marks  his  grave  is  this  inscription : 

Sacred  to  the  Memory 

of 

Ephraim  Woodbridge  A.  M. 

Sixth  Pastor  of  the  1st  Church 

New  London 

Ordained  Oct.  11th,  1769. 

Deceased  September  6,  1776. 

aged    XXX. 

Zion    may    in    hie    fall    bemoan    a    Beauty  and  Pillar  gone. 

The  inscription  on  the  stone  which  marks  the 
grave  of  Mrs.  Woodbridge  reads  as  follows : 

Here  lieth  the  remains  of  Mrs.  Mary 
Wife  of  Rev.  Ephraim  Woodbridge 
Daughter   of  Capt.   Nat.   and   Mrs.    Temper- 
ance Shaw,  who  died  at  Bolton  10th 
June  1775  in  the  24th  year  of  her  age. 


When  as  a  signal  of  her  leave  to  go 
Home  to  her  Savior,  free  from  sin  and  wo, 
Death,  from  his  Quiver  showed  a  fatal  Dart, 
A  sudden  pulse  of  joy   leapd  from  her  heart, 
'Eno'  of  life  and  all  its    charms,'  she  cried, 
'Welcome   my   Father's   messengers,'   and  died. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodbridge  were 
as  follows : 

I.     Nathaniel  Shaw,  born  November 4, 1 771. 

He  was  baptized  November  10.     June  24,  1790,  he 

married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Mumford  of 

(New  Salem)  Lyme,  Conn.    She  died  February  21, 

1795.     May  5,  1796  he  married  Louisa  Mather  of 

Colchester.     He  died  June  17,   1797.     He  was  in 


woodbridge's  ministry.  181 

Yale  College  for  a  time,  but  left  before  graduation. 
He  went  to  live  in  Salem,  and  devoted  himself  to 
the  pursuits  of  a  country  life.  ''The  house  in  which 
he  lived,  and  which  he  built  is  still  standing,  [1882] 
*  *  *  overlooking  the  valley  of  Elmgrove." 
[Woodbridge  Record  p.  107.]  He  was  not  yet  27 
when  he  died,  and  was  buried  at  the  foot  of  his  gar- 
den. 

2.  LuCRKTiA  Shaw,  born  August  7,  1773. 
She  was  baptized  August  15.  She  married  Hon. 
Elias  Perkins  and  lived  in  the  Shaw  Mansion  on 
Bank  street.  She  had  six  children,  the  eldest  of 
whom  was  Nathaniel  Shaw  Perkins,  M.  D.  She 
died  March  6,  1802. 

3.  Sarah,  born  January  7,  1775.  She  died 
September  5,  three  months  after  the  death  of  her 
mother.  The  first  two  who  survived  their  parents, 
became  the  wards  of  their  maternal  uncles,  who  had 
no  children. 

For  the  third  time  a  minister  of  this  church  had 
died  in  the  harness.  For  the  seventh  time  it  was 
left  without  a  pastor.  Never  before  was  the  out- 
look so  dark,  or  the  situation  so  serious.  The  con- 
flict which  had  been  in  the  air  since  1761,  had  brok- 
en out  into  open  violence  at  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton and  Bunker  Hill  in  1775.  The  church  and  the 
country  were  entering  on  a  night  upon  which  the 
morning  would  not  break  with  full  glory  until  the 
next  century  was  well  under  way.  To  find  our  way 
in  this  darkness  will  be  the  aim  of  the  following 
chapters. 


VII. 

THK   INTERIM. 
September  6,  1776.— May  17,  1787. 


The  following  action  of  the  society,  was  taken 
with  reference  to  the  supply  of  the  now^  vacant  pul- 
pit. "At  a  meeting  of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  So- 
ciety in  New  London  the  2ist  of  October  A.  D. 
1776  *  *  'i'  Richard  Law  Esqr.,  Capt.  Guy  Rich- 
ards, John  Hempstead  Esqr.,  Marvin  Wait  Chosen 
a  Committee  to  supply  the  Pulpit  of  said  Society 
for  the  Present."  The  next  year  the  Society's 
committee  were  again  appointed  to. the  same  duty. 
A  rate  of  one  shilling  and  six  pence  on  the  pound 
was  laid  on  the  polls  and  rateable  estate  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  parish,  upon  the  levy  of  1776,  "to 
Replace  the  sum  taken  Out  of  the  Society  Funds 
and  to  Pay  the  arrearages  due  from  the  society, 
and  to  Supply  the  Pulpit  for  the  future."  The  next 
year  records  a  similar  vote,  only  the  rate  was  six 
pence  less  on  the  pound.  Still  there  were  arrear- 
ages to  be  met.  In  1779,  April  20,  the  society  voted 
a  rate  of  two  shillings  and  six  pence  on  the  pound, 
in  a  desperate  endeavor  to  pay  its  debts,  and  to 
make  suitable  provision  for  the  future  supply  of 
the  pulpit.     However,  this  did  not  seem  to  meet  the 


THE   INTERIM.  183 

case.  For  November  first  of  the  same  year  a  rate 
of  six  shillings  on  the  pound,  on  the  levy  of  1778, 
was  voted,  "for  the  Contingent  Charges  of  sd  So- 
ciety." This  was  extraordinary,  for  in  the  years 
following  the  tax  varied  from  four  pence  on  the 
pound  to  one  shilling. 

The  tax  levied  in  1781  was  "four  pence  on  the 
pound  in  hard  money."  Lieut.  Richard  Chapman 
was  chosen  collector.  He  accepted  the  office,  and 
a  rate  bill  was  put  into  his  hands  of  which  he  made 
the  following  acknowledgment.  "Reed.  New  Lon- 
don August  31st,  1 781  from  Guy  Richards  Junr. 
Society  Treasr  a  society  Rate  Bill  Dated  31st  Augst 
1781,  amounting  to  one  Hundred  and  Ten  pounds 
Nineteen  shillings  and  5d  Lawfull  Silver  Money^ 
which  I  am  to  Collect  and  pay  in  to  Said  Treasr, 
or  to  his  Successor  in  Said  Office  by  the  last  day 
of  Octor  next  for  use  of  Said  Society — Richd  Chap- 
man." The  document  put  into  his  hands  reads  as 
follows :  ''To  Richard  Chapman  of  New  London 
Collector  for  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  New 
London  in  the  County  of  New  London  Greeting — 

"In  the  name  of  the  Governor  and  Company  of 
the  State  of  Connecticut  you  are  hereby  commanded 
forthwith  to  levy  and  collect  of  the  Persons  named 
in  the  annexed  list  herewith  committed  unto  you 
each  one  his  several  Proportion  (as  therein  set 
down)  of  the  sum  total  of  Such  List — being  a  tax 
or  assessment  granted  and  agreed  upon  by  the  In- 
habitants of  the  said  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  said 
New  London  regularly  assembled  on  the  [21]  Day 


184      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

of  August  1781  being  46.  on  the  pound  and  amount- 
ing to  the  sum  of  £110.14.5  ^o^  defraying  the  neces- 
sary Charges  arising  within  the  same  and  to  de- 
liver and  pay  the  Sum  or  Sums  which  you  shall  so 
levy  and  collect  unto  the  Treasurer  of  said  Society 
at  or  before  the  First  Monday  in  October  next — 
And  if  any  Person  or  Persons  shall  neglect  or  re- 
fuse to  make  payment  of  the  Sum  or  Sums  whereat 
he  she  or  they  are  respectively  assessed  and  set  in 
the  said  list  you  are  to  distrain  the  Goods  or  Chat- 
ties of  the  said  Person  or  Persons  and  the  same 
dispose  of  as  the  Law  directs  returning  the  over- 
put  (if  any  there  be)  unto  the  Owner  or  Owners 
and  for  want  of  Goods  and  Chattels — whereon  to 
make  Distress  you  are  to  take  the  Body  or  Bodies 
of  the  Person  or  Persons  so  refusing  and  him  or 
them  commit  unto  the  keeper  of  the  Goal  of  the 
town  of  Norwich  in  said  County  within  said  Prison 
Who  is  hereby  commanded  to  receive  and  safely 
keep  him  or  them  until  he  or  they  pay  and  sat- 
isfy the  said  Sum  or  Sums  assessed  upon  him  or 
them  as  aforesaid  together  with  your  Fees — Unless 
the  said  assessment  or  any  part  thereof  upon  Ap- 
plication to  the  Comtee  of  said  Society  shall  be 
abated.  Dated  New  London  31st,  Augt  1781." 
The  rate  bill,  on  the  grand  levy  of  1780,  which  ac- 
companied this  document,  gave  the  grand  list,  and 
the  ministerial  rate  at  ''Four  pence  hard  money 
upon  the  pound,"  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four 
persons.  The  rate,  it  was  distinctly  specified,  was 
to  be  paid  in  hard  money.     Before  October  first 


THE  INTERIM.  185 

of  that  year  Richard  Chapman  was  in  his  grave. 
He  had  collected  £2  17s.  io>4d.  The  money  was 
paid  over  to  Mr.  Guy  Richards  Jr.  the  treasurer 
of  the  society. 

At  a  society  meeting  held  October  28,  1782,  it 
was  "Voted  that  John  Stebbings  be  a  collector  to 
collect  the  remainder  of  the  Rate  Bill  made  ye  21st 
Augt  1781,  being  46.  on  ye  pound  which  the  late 
Richd  Chapman  had  to  collect  and  that  he  collect 
in  what  is  due  thereon  and  pay  in  to  the  committee 
immediately."  A  rate  bill,  still  in  existence,  similar 
to  the  one  put  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Chapman, 
was  given  him,  for  which  he  gave  a  receipt.  It  was 
dated  November  4,  1782,  and  signed  by  ''Timothy 
Green,  Justice  of  Peace."  The  amount  remaining 
over  from  the  former  bill  to  be  collected,  was  £83 
5d.  At  the  same  meeting  it  was  "voted  that  there 
be  a  Contribution  every  Sabbath  when  their  is 
preaching,  under  the  direction  of  the  Committee 
to  be  apply'd  towards  the  payment  of  a  minister, 
untiil  the  further  Order  of  this  Society." 

September  i,  1786  Mr.  Jeremiah  G.  Brainard  was 
chosen  the  agent  of  the  society  "to  Collect  in  the 
Society  Bonds  by  Sueing  or  otherways — Also  call 
the  Society  Collectors  to  Accot  by  praying  out  Ex- 
ecution against  them  or  otherways  as  shall  be  nec- 
essary." The  list  of  obligations  with  interest  put 
into  Mr.  Brainard's  hands  to  collect  by  process  of 
law  if  necessary,  amounted  to  £330  gd. 

These  rate  bills  and  the  legal  authority  with 
which  the  society's  collectors  were  armed  are  given 


186      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

as  examples  of  the  methods  to  which  our  fathers 
often  found  it  necessary  to  resort  to  support  the 
gospel.  The  office  of  collector,  with  legal  power 
to  compel  payment  was  not  one  which  was  coveted. 
So  many  declined  to  serve  in  this  capacity  that  the 
society  found  it  necessary  to  resort  to  rather  heroic 
measures.  At  a  meeting  held  October  23,  1781,  it 
was  ''Voted  that  this  society  will  proceed  to  Choose 
out  of  the  Rate  Bill  a  number  of  Persons  one  of 
which  to  serve  the  Society  as  Collector,  beginning 
at  the  first  Chosen,  he  refusing,  the  Second  to  Serve, 
he  refusing  the  Third  and  so  on  in  Succession  till 
one  is  found  to  Serve,  and  all  that  shall  refuse,  to  be 
considered  as  delinquents."  This  meeting  ad- 
journed till  October  25,  when  twenty  names  were 
presented,  out  of  which  a  collector  was  to  be  chosen 
according  to  the  plan  adopted  at  the  previous  meet- 
ing. Zaccheus  Wheeler  and  Joseph  Douglass  were 
chosen.  This  method  of  supporting  the  gospel  was 
continued  until  the  new  meeting-house  was  com- 
pleted, when  the  method  of  selling  pews  was 
adopted. 

The  meeting-house,  which  stood  on  the  hill  had 
been  in  use  since  1698;  a  period  of  eighty-six  years. 
It  was  in  a  dilapidated  condition,  so  much  so  that 
it  could  not  be  used  with  comfort  during  the  cold 
weather.  In  the  winter  of  1780  leave  was  requested 
of  Saint  James'  Parish  for  the  privilege  of  holding 
services  in  its  house  of  worship,  during  the  winter. 
January  13  Saint  James'  Parish  "voted  that  the  Rev. 
William  Adams  has  leave  to  officiate  in  said  church 


THE  INTERIM.  187 

during  the  cold  season  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
church."  [Annals  p.  58.]  Several  times,  during 
that  winter,  clergyman  of  the  English  Church  of- 
ficiated at  Saint  James.  But,  at  other  times,  it  is 
supposed  that  Mr.  Adams  held  services  there  after 
the  Congregational  order,  while  temporarily  sup- 
plying the  pulpit  of  the  First  Church. 

At  last  the  First  Society  aroused  themselves  to 
the  necessity  of  doing  something.  So  October  12, 
1784,  at  a  meeting  of  the  said  society,  it  was  "Vo- 
ted unanimously.  That  the  Society  prefer  a  Peti- 
tion to  the  General  Assembly  to  be  Holden  at  New 
Haven  on  the  26.  Thursday  of  Octor,  Inst.,  to  Im- 
power  the  society  to  Tax  the  Pews  for  Repairing 
the  Meeting  House — in  Sd  Society.  Voted  That 
Joshua  Coit  Esqr.  Mr.  Amasa  Learned  and  Thomas 
Shaw  Esqr  be  a  Comtee  for  the  purpose  aforesaid." 

Probably  no  extensive  repairs,  if  any,  were 
made.  For  March  9,  1785,  the  following  action 
points  to  a  movement  toward  a  new  house  of  wor- 
ship. "Voted,  That  this  Society  are  willing  to  have 
a  new  Meeting  House  built  in  some  place  different 
from  the  present  and  that  the  present  meeting 
house  with  its  appurtenances,  and  the  funds  of  the 
Society  may  be  apply'd  so  far  as  they  will  do  for 
the  purpose — provided  the  Same  may  be  done  with- 
out further  expense  to  the  Society,  and  that  the 
Society  Comtee  be  desired  to  see  what  sums  may 
be  Collected  by  Subscription  for  the  purpose  afore- 
said, and  Consider  of  a  place  to  be  propos'd  to,  and 
Consider'd  of  by  a  future  meeting  of  this  Society." 


188      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Accordingly  before  the  next  meeting,  May  lo  of 
the  same  year,  a  subscription  paper  was  drawn  up 
and  subscriptions  secured  to  the  amount  of  over 
£  1200.  This  document,  with  the  subscriptions  and 
signatures  is  in  existence.  There  were  forty-eight 
subscribers.     This  paper  is  reproduced  in  full : 

"Wee  the  subscribers  for  the  Purpose  of  Build- 
ing a  Meeting  House  in  the  first  Ecclesiastical  So- 
ciety in  the  Town  of  New  London  for  the  use  of 
said  society  do  agree  to  pay  the  Sums  to  Our 
Names  Severally  applied. 

''Provided  the  appropriation  of  said  Monies  shall 
be  Subject  to  the  following  Conditions  (To  wit) 

"ist.  That  Agreeable  to  the  vote  of  said  Socie- 
ty the  Meeting  House  now  Standing  in  said  Society 
shall  in  such  way  as  shall  be  most  Expedient  with 
its  appurtenances  and  the  Funds  of  said  Society  be 
appropriated  with  the  Monies  Subscribed  for  the 
Purpose  aforesaid. 

"2d.  That  said  House  be  built  on  the  North 
line  of  the  Vacant  Place  adjoining  where  the  Court 
House  lately  Stood  and  facing  to  the  South. 

"3d.  That  the  house  to  be  Built  by  this  Sub- 
scription shall  be  the  Property  of  said  Society  in 
such  way  however  that  the  Pews  in  the  same  shall 
never  be  the  Property  of  Individualls,  but  that 
they  be  rented  or  hired  out  annually,  and  the  Money 
arising  from  the  same  be  appropriated  for  the  pur- 
pose of  Keeping  Said  House  in  Repair  and  Sup- 
porting a  Minister. 


MEETING  HOUSE  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST. 

1787—1849. 


THE  INTERIM.  189^ 

"4th.  That  the  Monies  and  other  Articles  herein 
Siibscribd  shall  be  laid  out  and  appropriated  for  the 
Purpose  aforesaid  by  a  committee  to  be  chosen  by 
the  Subscribers  at  a  meeting  to  be  Called  as  soon 
as  the  Sum  of  £1200  shall  be  Subscribed  in  whh 
Meeting  a  vote  of  the  Subscribers  shall  be  taken 
according  to  the  Sums  by  them  Subscribed. 

*'5th.  That  the  Subscribers  will  hold  themselves 
bound  to  Pay  or  Deliver  to  said  Committee  the  sev- 
eral sums  of  Money  or  Other  Articles  Subscribed 
as  soon  as  the  aforesaid  Sum  of  £  1200  shall  be 
subscribed  and  said  Committee  Chosen. 

New  London  21  March  1785." 

The  foregoing  paper  appears  in  the  records  of 
the  Parish  under  date  of  May  10,  with  the  number 
of  subscribers  increased  to  fifty-five,  and  article  sec- 
ond changed  to  read  "that  the  House  be  built  on  the 
place  called  BoUes  Hill,"  the  site  now  occupied  by 
the  present  house  of  worship.  Stephen  Bolles 
signed  an  agreement  to  sell  a  certain  piece  of 
ground  for  the  purpose  of  building  an  house  of 
worship  thereon,  which  explains  the  change  in  the 
reading  of  the  second  article  of  the  subscription 
paper.  The  agreement  reads  as  follows  :  "I  Stephen 
Bolles  of  New  London  will  sell  for  the  purpose  of 
Building  a  Meeting  house  thereon  that  part  of  my 
Lot  which  lies  north  of  Mr.  Penniman's  Land  and 
west  of  the  Highway  running  between  Mr.  Penni- 
man  and  Mr.  Law's  Houses  [this  was  Union 
street]  for  seventy-five  pounds,  twenty-five  of  which 


190      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

I  will  subscribe  for  said  House,  twenty-five  to  be 
paid  in  West  India  Goods  at  Cash  price  and  the  Re- 
mainder in  Cash,  and  will  lay  out  a  Highway  of 
three  Rods  wide  from  Sd  first  mentioned  Highway 
to  the  main  street  the  south  Line  of  which  to  be  a 
strait  line  from  Corner  of  Mr.  Law's  Barn  and  about 
five  foot  from  the  No.  East  Corner  of  my  house. 
Witness  my  hand  at  New  London  this  3d  day  of 
May  1785." 

The  street  which  he  agreed  to  lay  out  is  now 
known  as  Masonic  street.  The  subscriptions  to  the 
fund  for  the  building  of  the  new  meeting-house  were 
as  follows : 

Thomas  Shaw,  Four  Hundred  Pounds  in  Labour  and  Lumber 
Richard  Law  Fifty  Pounds. 

Timothy  Green  thirty-five  Pounds  in  Labour  and  Lumber. 
Edward  Hallam  &  Co.  Fifty  Pounds  in  West  India  and  Dry- 
goods. 
Pember  Caulkings  Thirty-five  Pounds  in  Rum  at  3  shillings 

Gal. 

Joseph  Coite  and  Son  Joshua  Thirty  Pounds  Cash. 

Michael  Melally  Twenty  Pounds  in  sugar. 

Richard  Deshon  Twenty  Pounds  in  Team  and  other  Labour. 

Amasa  Learned  Fifteen  Pounds  in  Cash. 

Nathan  Bailey  Fifteen  pounds  in  victualing  and  Iron  Work. 

Jonathan  Douglas  Twelve  pounds  in  victualing. 

George  Colfax  Ten  pounds  in  West  India  Goods. 

Ebenezer  Lester  Bight  pounds  in  Rum  at  Cash  price. 

Patrick  Robertson  Five  pounds  in  Goods. 

Jeremiah  Gates  Brainard  Eight  Pounds  half  Cash  and  half 
in  labour. 

John  Way  nine  Pounds  in  Freight. 

William  Richards  Six  pounds  in  Solder  Noter. 

David  Manwaring  Forty  Pounds  in  English  Goods. 


THE  INTERIM.  191 

Simon  Wolcott  Ten  Pounds  in  West  India  Goods. 

Robert  Colfax  Six  pounds  in  West  India  Goods. 

Allen  &  Co.  for  Mary  Allen  Nine  pounds  in  Cash,  or  West 
India  Goods. 

John  Deshon  fifteen  Pounds  in  Labour  and  Materials  for 
Building. 

Abraham  Lawrence  Six  pounds  in  Goods. 

Ephraim  Miner  Fifteen  pounds  in  Wharfage  Victualing  &c. 

Joshua  Starr  Twenty  Pounds  in  Goods  and  Lumber. 

John  &  Isaac  Treby  Fifteen  Pounds  in  Labour  and  Lumber. 

Pardon  T.   Tabor  Six  pounds  in  Goods. 

Job  Tabor  Ten  pounds  in  Goods. 

Thomas  Coit  Fifteen  pounds  in  Labour  and  Goods. 

Louis  Manierre  Ten  pounds  in  Goods. 

Esther   Prentis    Ten   pounds    in   Cash. 

Nathaniel  Richards  Nine  pounds  in  West  India  Goods. 

Stephen  Maynard  three  pounds  in  Dry  Goods. 

Samuel  Belden  Six  pounds  in  West  India  Goods. 

Thomas  Hempsted  Three  pounds  in  Team  Labour. 

Joshua  Hempsted  Fifteen  pounds  in  Labour  and  Lumber. 

Thomas  &  Giles  Mumford  in  West  India  Goods,  Glass  and 
Lumber  Sixty-six  pounds. 

Samuel  Whitemore  Four  pounds  West  India  Goods. 

Joseph   Hurlbut   Twelve   pounds   in   Money. 

Daniel  Rodman  Twenty-four  pounds  in  Labour  or  Goods. 

Francis  Bayd  Winthrop  Fifteen  pounds  in  Rum  at  Cash 
price. 

Samuel  Culver  One  pound  ten  shillings  in  Labour. 

Elisha  Hinman  Twenty  Pounds  half  in  Cash  and  half  in  Rum. 

Edward  Chappel  Fifteen  Pounds  in  Freights. 

John  Woodward  Fifteen  Pounds  in  dry  Goods, 

John  Gurdon  Five  Pounds  in  Iron  Work  and  Dry  Goods 

Robert  Manwaring  Twelve  pounds  in  Shoes  at  Cash  price. 

Joseph  Harris  Fifteen  Pounds  in  Labour  and  Lumber. 

James  Tilley  Twenty-five  Pounds  in  West  India  Goods  or 
Labour. 


192        LATER   HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

Daniel  Chapman  Five  pounds  in  Labour  or  Lumber  at  Cash 
price. 

George  Hallam  Six  pounds  in  West  India  Goods, 

Guy  Richards  Thirty-five  pounds  in  Labour  and  Materials 
for  Building. 

-Stephen  Bolles  Twenty-five  pounds  toward  purchasing  a  Lot 
for  the  Meeting  House  to  stand  on. 

Gurdon  Saltonstall  Twenty  pounds  State  Money  including  in- 
terest (suppose  equal  to)  £8  2s.  6d. 

Michael  Rice  Ten  Thousand  shingles  (say  at  16  shillings.) 

These  fifty-eight  subscriptions  amounted  to 
£1267  I2S.  6d;  more  than  the  sum  which  must  be 
subscribed  to  make  them  binding.  In  reading  the 
Hst  we  are  impressed  with  the  wilHngness  with 
which  the}4  did  what  they  could.  Like  Peter  and 
John  they  were  forced  to  say  "Silver  and  gold  have 
we  none,  but  such  as  we  have  we  give  thee." 

Accordingly  May  10,  1785  a  meeting  of  the  so- 
ciety was  held,  and  the  following  action  was  taken : 
"On  a  report  of  the  Committee  that  a  Subscription 
for  the  purpose  of  Building  a  new  Meeting  House 
had  already  amounted  to  £1200,  and  that  the  Sub- 
scribers had  agreed  to  build  sd  House  on  a  Lott  of 
Land  on  the  West  side  of  Stephen  Bolles'  Lott; 
Voted,  That  this  society  approves  of  the  place  and 
that  a  Comtee  be  chosen  to  purchase  sd  Lott  and 
proceed  to  build  the  sd  Meeting  House  under  the 
direction  of  the  Subscribers  in  as  expeditious  a 
manner  as  possible.  Voted  that  David  Manwaring, 
Guy  Richards  and  Thomas  Shaw  Esqr.  be  the  Com- 
mittee."    These  gentlemen  being  subscribers  con- 


THE   INTERIM.  193 

stituted  the  committee  called  for  by  the  fourth  arti- 
cle of  the  subscription. 

The  lot  was  bought,  and  Stephen  Bolles'  receipt 
for  it  reads  as  follows : 

"New  London  Sept.  i,  1785. 
Received  from  Guy  Richards  one  of  the  Comtee 
for  building  the  New  Meeting  House  Ten  pounds 
in  cash — an  Order  on  the  Honble  Richard  Law  for 
Fifteen  pounds  in  cash — an  order  on  Nathel  Rich- 
ards for  Nine  pounds  in  West  India  Goods — an  Or- 
der on  George  Colfax  for  Ten  pounds  in  West  In- 
dia Goods,  and  a  Due  Bill  for  Six  pounds  more  in 
West  India  Goods,  which  all  Together  (with  my 
own  subscription  of  £25  towards  building  the  above 
mentioned  Meeting-House)  is  in  full  for  a  Lott  of 
Land  this  Day  Deed'd  to  the  first  Ecclesiastical  So- 
ciety in  New  London  for  the  purpose  of  building  a 
Meeting-House  thereon." 

Part  of  the  land  which  comprised  the  lot  of  the 
new  meeting-house,  was  procured  of  Amasa 
Learned  in  exchange  for  land  owned  by  the  society 
elsewhere.  For  August  i,  1788  the  following  vote 
was  passed.  "Whereas  the  society  are  informed 
that  Mr.  Amasa  Learned  offers  to  give  the  Society 
a  Lot  of  Land  which  he  owns  adjoining  Northward 
on  the  meeting  house  in  Exchange  for  a  claim  they 
have  to  Land  where  the  Town  school  house  former- 
ly stood,  and  at  or  near  where  Mr.  Jesse  Edge- 
comb's  house  now  stands.  Voted  that  the  Society 
Treasurer,  be  authorized  and  directed"  to  make  the 


194      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

exchange  and  issue  the  proper  deeds.  The  land 
thus  acquired  was  in  the  rear  of  the  present  house 
of  worship. 

These  transactions  are  an  interesting  study.  In 
the  first  place  the  church,  following  the  center  of 
population  and  of  business  moved  off  the  hill  where 
the  inhabitants  had  worshipped  God  for  more  than 
a  century  and  a  quarter.  In  the  next  place  the  sub- 
scriptions are  a  revelation  as  to  the  financial  con- 
dition of  affairs  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  But  six  subscriptions,  amounting  to  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  six  pounds  were  in  cash,  and  one 
of  these  could  be  paid  in  West  India  Goods.  Two 
subscriptions  were  half  to  be  paid  in  cash.  So  that 
but  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds  in  money  passed 
hands.  But  the  people  gave  liberally  of  what  they 
had. 

Bills  in  existence  show  that  the  work  of  building 
the  new  house  of  worship  was  pushed  with  such 
vigor  as  could  be  brought  to  bear,  and  that  it  was 
well  advanced  during  the  year  1785.  This  is  all  the 
more  to  the  credit  of  the  people  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  they  were  as  yet  a  flock  without  a  shepherd. 
The  earliest  bill  bears  date  of  April  1785,  and  was 
for  various  tools  and  articles  to  be  used  in  erecting 
the  proposed  house,  so  that  as  early  as  this,  if  the 
work  had  not  been  begun,  it  must  have  been  set- 
tled in  the  minds  of  the  people  that  a  new  meeting 
house  was  to  be  built.  Guy  Richards  and  Thomas 
Shaw  were  the  building  committee.  Various  bills 
in  existence  show  that  they  paid  out    £924   12s. 


THE  INTERIM.  195 

iiy^d.  They  had  received  from  subscribers  £909 
17s.  II d.;  leaving  an  apparent  deficit  of  £14  15s. 
3^d.  But  as  several  subscriptions  were  paid  in  la- 
bor, the  deficiency  was  probably  not  real.  One 
James  Baxter  seems  to  have  been  the  chief  carpen- 
ter and  the  architect  as  well.  For  he  presented  a 
bill  of  over  seventy-four  pounds  for  work  done,  and 
another  of  eight  pounds  for  a  "plan  for  the  meeting 
house  and  directions  about  the  Fraim." 

There  were  various  other  bills  for  labor,  for  ma- 
terials, for  boarding  workmen,  for  106  gallons  of 
rum,  etc.,  all  in  1786  which  serve  to  mark  this  as 
the  year  in  which  most  of  the  work  was  done. 
Whatever  deficiencies  there  were  seem  to  have  been 
fully  met  by  the  outstanding  obligations  which  the 
society  held  against  some  of  the  principal  men, 
amounting  to  over  three  hundred  and  thirty  pounds. 
The  entire  cost  of  the  meeting-house  seems  to  have 
come  within  the  amount  of  the  subscriptions. 

It  was  decided  to  add  a  steeple  to  the  meeting- 
house. Accordingly  the  following  subscription  pa- 
per was  drawn  up  :  "We  the  subscribers  being  de- 
sirous of  completing  the  outside  of  the  Meeting 
House  and  considering  the  Saving  there  might  be 
in  erecting  the  steeple  at  this  time,  and  the  preserv- 
ing of  the  Bell  in  the  Old  House,  Do  agree  and 
oblige  ourselves,  to  Pay  into  the  hands  of  the  Com- 
mittee for  building  the  New  Meeting  House  the 
several  Sums  and  Articles,  or  Day's  Work  annexed 
to  our  several  names  respectively ;  and  we  hereby 
promise  to  pay  the  several  Sums  and  deliver  the 


196      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

several  articles,  and  do  or  perform  the  several  Day's 
Work  set  to  our  names  to  the  said  Committee,  or  to 
their  acceptance,  when  called  for  by  them,  to  be 
done  and  applyed  to  the  building  of  a  Steeple  to 
the  said  House,  always  provided  that  this  Sub- 
scription shall  amo  to  One  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  and  at  least  one  third  of  it  in  cash,  or  to 
be  void  and  of  no  effect. 

New  London  Augt  19,  1786." 

Then  follow  a  number  of  signatures,  headed  by 
the  name  of  Thomas  Shaw  who  drew  up  the  paper. 
The  total  amount  subscribed  was  £126.  This  sum 
was  not  sufficient  to  secure  the  subscriptions.  But 
the  steeple  was  finally  built,  as  will  be  seen  further 
on. 

The  work  on  the  house  of  worship  went  on  till 
January  5,  1787,  when  it  had  progressed  so  far  that 
the  society  met  and  chose  a  committee  to  assess  the 
pews  and  report  at  an  adjourned  meeting.  Thomas 
Shaw  Esqr.,  Mr.  David  Manwaring,  Dr.  Thomas 
Coit,  Amasa  Learned,  and  George  Douglas  were 
chosen  as  that  committee.  The  adjourned  meeting 
was  held  January  12  when  the  report  of  the  commit- 
tee was  read  and  unanimously  approved.  The  re- 
port was  as  follows : 

"The  Society's  Committee  appointed  to  number  and  appraize 
the  Pews  and  designate  a  mode  of  Leasing  the  same,  and  take 
into  Consideration  the  Necessary  means  and  provision  for  the 
maintenance  and  Support  of  a  Settled  Minister,  Report,  That 
the  Pews  shall  be  number'd  according  to  the  Subjoined  List 
from  one  to  Fifty-nine  and  Rented  annually  for  no  less  Sums 


THE   INTERIM.  197 

than  those  annexed  to  their  Respective  numbers.     The  aggre- 
gate Sum  being  £118-17. 

That  the  subscribers  shall  make  their  Choice  of  the  Pews 
according  to  the  Amount  of  their  Subscription,  or  they  may 
be  leas'd  to  the  highest  Bider,  provided  no  bid  shall  be  made 
or  Taken  for  any  particular  Pew,  for  a  less  Sum  than  the 
same  is  appraized  at.  That  the  Contribution  shall  be  Con- 
tinued as  usual,  and  the  several  Lessee's  may  paper  the 
money  they  contribute  marked  with  the  number  of  the  Pew 
they  Hire,  for  which  they  shall  receive  Credit,  provided  the 
Same  is  not  less  than  Eighteen  pence,  and  at  the  expiration, 
of  every  three  months  each  Lessee  shall  compleet  a  Quarterly 
payment,  the  Rents  of  the  Pews  as  Estimated  Together  with 
the  loose  money  which  will  be  Collected  by  the  Contributions, 
the  Committee  Judge  will  be  equal  to  the  annual  Salary  of  a 
Settled  Minister,  and  that  every  one  may  be  Bound  and  ob- 
liged to  perform  his  own  Contract  it  may  be  expedient,  that 
the  Several  Lessees  Sign  an  agreement  in  substance  like  the 
following — Wee  the  Subscribers  Inhabitants  of  the  first  Ec- 
clesiastical Society  of  New  London  Severally  agree  to  hire  for 
the  Term  of  one  year  the  Pews  in  the  new  meeting  House, 
the  numbers  of  which  are  Annexed  to  our  Names,  and  pay 
for  the  same  in  Quarterly  payments  the  Sums  annexed  to  their 
numbers  respectively." 

In  accordance  with  the  suggestions  of  the  fore- 
going report,  the  fifty-nine  pews  were  appraised  at 
prices  which  varied  from  one  pound  to  three  pounds. 
It  was  also  'Voted  That  a  Committee  be  chosen 
to  arrange  the  Subscribers  ^  *  *  and  make  report 
at  the  next  meeting."  This  arrangement  was  to 
be  made  according  to  the  amount  of  each  subscrip- 
tion, entithng  the  largest  subscriber  to  the  first 
choice.  Daniel  Rodman,  Winthrop  Saltonstall  and 
Simon   Walcott,   were   chosen   as   the    committee. 


198      LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

This  committee  attended  to  their  duty,  ''arranged 
the  subscribers  according  to  the  amot  of  their  sub- 
scriptions," and  reported  January  19,  1787.  Mr. 
Thomas  Shaw  stood  first  on  the  Ust,  and  was  en- 
titled to  the  first  choice.  "But  the  society  prefer- 
ring disposing  of  the  Pews  at  auction,  they  were 
bid  of  as  follows."  The  list  shows  that  every  one  of 
the  fifty-nine  pews  was  taken  for  the  year,  at  prices 
varying  from  twenty-one  to  sixty-seven  shillings. 
The  total  amount  of  the  first  sale  was  £143  i6s. 
which  was  £24  19s.  more  than  the  committee's  ap- 
praisal. 

At  the  same  meeting  the  following  lease  was 
adopted  which  each  lessee  or  pew  holder  was  asked 
to  sign.  ''We,  the  Subscribers,  Inhabitants  of  the 
first  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  New  London ;  Do 
hereby  Covenant  and  agree,  to  and  with  Committee 
of  Said  Society  from  the  Day  of  the  Date  hereof; 
to  hire  a' Pew  in  the  new  Meeting  House  as  per  the 
number  and  Rate,  or  Sum  prefixed  to  each  of  our 
Names  respectively;  for  the  full  term  of  one 
year  from  the  date  hereof.  In  consideration  of 
which  we  the  Subscribers  aforesaid.  Do  hereby  sev- 
erally promise  and  bind  each  of  our  Selves  and  our 
heirs  to  pay  unto  the  Treasurer  of  Said  Society  (for 
the  Time  being)  the  sums,  or  rent  of  Said  Pews  as 
here  under  Written  and  affixed  to  each  of  our 
Names  in  Quarterly  payments,  (at  the  end  of  each 
and  every  three  months),  during  the  Lease,  to  com- 
mence from  this  Date.  Always  provided,  if  any 
of  us,  the  Said  Subscribers,  shall  neglect  or  refuse 


THE  INTERIM.  199 

to  pay  up  Said  Rent,  as  above  Written,  that  the 
Said  Comtee  for  the  Time  being  shall  have  Right 
to  enter  into  Said  Leas'd  Pew  of  the  Subscriber,  so 
deficient,  and  Hire  out  the  same  to  others  more 
punctual  in  payment.  Executed  at  New  London 
Jany  19th  1787."  To  this  lease  were  attached  the 
names  of  well  known  New  Londoners  of  former 
days ;  as  for  example  Thomas  Shaw,  Richard  Law, 
Amasa  Learned,  Guy  Richards,  Richard  Deshon, 
Winthrop  Saltonstall,  Timothy  Green,  Joshua  Coit, 
George  Colfax,  Samuel  Belden,  David  Mumford, 
and  many  others.  The  matter  of  paying  pew  rents 
under  the  foregoing  lease  was  not  the  voluntary 
affair  that  it  is  now.  For  January  21,  1788,  at  the 
close  of  the  first  year  under  the  new  system  it  was 
found  necessary  to  pass  the  following  vote,  namely 
"that  the  Society  Committee  be  directed  to  call  on 
those  persons  that  have  not  paid  up  their  pew  rents 
for  the  last  year  and  if  necessary,  commence  sutes 
against  them  for  the  immediate  Collection."  The 
system  thus  adopted  finally  put  an  end  to  the  ob- 
noxious method  of  laying  a  tax.  Though  the  pew 
rental  was  expected  to  be  paid,  and  sometimes  pay- 
ment was  enforced,  yet  the  adoption  of  the  system, 
which  still  prevails,  was  a  long  step  towards  a  purely 
voluntary  support  of  the  gospel.  Not  only  did 
those  who  hired  pews  sign  leases,  legally  binding 
them  for  the  payment  of  the  rent,  they  were  also 
required  to  give  their  notes,  payable  quarterly. 
Thus  April  15,  1793,  it  was  "voted  That  those  per- 


200      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

sons  that  hired  Pews  for  the  Current  Year  give  their 
Note  of  hand  to  the  Treasurer  payable  in  quarterly 
Payments  with  Interest  after  Oct.  untill  paid." 

The  last  stated  services  in  the  old  Saltonstall 
meeting-house  on  the  hill  were  held  in  1786,  Miss 
Caulkins  says  by  Rev.  Mr.  Patten.  Occasional 
services  were  held  there  after  Mr.  Patten.  Rev. 
John  Murray,  probably  a  Universalist,  who  fre- 
quently visited  Connecticut,  preached  in  the  old 
house,  June  21,  1786.  The  last  sermon  preached 
in  it  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Roswell  Cook  of  the 
North  Parish,  August  23,  1786,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  death  of  Sally,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Brooks. 

The  new  meeting-house  was  now  so  far  com- 
pleted as  to  be  ready  for  use.  There  is  no  account 
of  any  dedication.  But  we  know  that  there  was 
some  service  of  the  kind,  for  an  entry  in  the  records 
of  the  church  speaks  of  a  rededication  November 
8,  1789.  The  finishing  of  the  new  edifice  and  the 
erection  of  a  steeple  belong  to  the  pastorate  of  Mr. 
Channing. 

We  turn  back  now  to  consider  the  question  of 
the  pulpit  supply  during  the  long  interval.  There 
are  few  votes  on  the  parish  records  relating  to  this 
matter.  But  bills,  receipts,  and  statements,  kept  on 
file,  furnish  data.  We  have  already  seen  that,  on 
the  death  of  Mr.  Woodbridge,  a  committee  of  the 
society  was  appointed  to  supply  the  pulpit  ''for  the 
present."  Miss  Caulkins  says  that  ''such  was  the 
confusion  of  afifairs  consequent  upon  the  war,  the 


THE  INTERIM.  201 

continual  apprehension  of  an  attack,  and  the  ulti- 
mate burning  of  the  town,  that  the  Society  only 
engaged  preachers  by  the  year,  month,  or  Sabbath, 
as  opportunity  offered.  Rev.  William  Adams 
preached  about  half  the  time  during  the  first  three 
years."  There  is  no  parish  record  to  show  whether 
this  is  correct  or  not.  However,  he  was  on  the 
ground,  and  could  be  had  in  an  emergency.  But 
the  only  vote  relating  to  his  preaching  was  taken 
November  21,  1780,  when  the  committee  were  in- 
structed to  secure  the  Rev.  Emerson  Foster,  if  they 
could,  if  not  "to  employ  the  Revd.  Mr.  Adams  or 
Others  as  Occasion  may  Require."  Mr.  Adams' 
name  is  nowhere  else  mentioned  in  parish  records. 
However,  he  supplied  the  pulpit  during  that  win- 
ter; and  we  know  that  he  had  preached  for  the 
church  before  this.  For  we  have  his  own  statement 
showing  that  he  supplied  the  pulpit  thirty-four  Sab- 
baths in  the  years  1779  and  1780.  If  he  was  en- 
gaged again,  in  compliance  with  the  vote  of  No- 
vember 21,  1780,  his  services  covered  a  still  greater 
period.  There  are  papers  on  file  which  point  to 
his  having  supplied  the  pulpit  in  1782,  1783,  1784, 
and  1786;  but  probably  only  for  a  brief  period  in 
each  year. 

In  March  1780  a  formal  invitation  was  sent  to 
Rev.  C.  J.  Baldwin  to  spend  a  few  weeks  with  the 
church,  evidently  with  a  view  to  a  permanent  set- 
tlement. For  April  10,  1780,  he  wrote  the  follow- 
ing letter,  which  explains  itself : 


202      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

To  Mess  Saltonstall,  Green  and  Richards  Comtee  of  the  first 
ecclesiastical  Society  in  New  London. 

Gentlemen: 

Your  letter  of  March  8th  is  just  received.  The  manner  in 
which  your  application  is  couched  demands  my  acknowledg- 
ment. A  desire  of  so  large  and  respectable  a  People  to  be 
resettled  in  the  Gospel  ordinances  is  so  important,  that  it 
should  be  treated  with  great  deference.  Am  sorry  to  be  ob- 
liged to  inform  you  that  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  comply  with 
your  request  of  "my  spending  a  few  weeks  with  you."  The 
campaign  is  now  opening  and  I  should  not  be  able  to  leave 
the  Brigade  for  such  a  time  without  breaking  my  connection 
with  the  Army,  which  at  present  would  be  disagreeable.  The 
generosity  of  the  People  of  New  London  is  by  no  means 
doubted.  Be  assured  gentlemen,  I  should  not  attempt  to  ex- 
cuse myself  from  so  agreeable  a  proposal,  were  it  consistent 
with  my  engagements.  That  the  great  Head  of  the  churches 
may  provide  you  a  person  suited  to  the  importance  of  such 
a  situation  is  the  hearty  Desire  of 

Gentlemen 
Your  obedient  humble  servt 

C.  J.  BALDWIN. 
Camp  near  Morristown 

April  10,   1780. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  letter,  to  which  this 
is  a  reply,  is  not  in  existence.  But  the  answer  re- 
veals the  character  of  it.  It  was  not  a  formal  call 
to  settle,  but  it  foreshadowed  one  so  strongly  that 
it  may  safely  be  said  that  steps  were  taken  to  se- 
cure him  as  pastor.  He  evidently  was  a  chaplain 
in  the  Revolutionary  army.  Nothing  further  ap- 
pears concerning  him. 

After  Mr.  Adams,  Mr.  Niles,  Mr.  Austin,  Mr. 
Atwater,  and  Mr.  Emerson  Foster  preached  at  var- 


THE  INTERIM.  203 

ious  times.  So  that  the  pulpit  was  suppUed  with 
considerable  regularity  till  July  1781.  From  this 
date  to  October  1782,  there  is  no  record  relating 
to  the  supply  of  the  pulpit.  October  28,  1782,  the 
society  recommended  ''that  the  subscription  paper 
drew  up  by  the  late  committee  be  handed  to  the 
Inhabitants  of  this  Society  for  Subscribers  towards 
the  paying  of  the  Revd.  Mr.  Wolcott  for  his  ser- 
vices, and  for  the  hiring  a  minister  in  future  as  far 
as  the  money  thus  raised  will  extend." 

The  subscription  paper  referred  to  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

"We,  the  Subscribers  being  desirous  of  sup- 
porting the  public  preaching  of  the  Gospel  by  vol- 
untary subscriptions,  would  propose  to  raise  a  Sum 
for  the  purpose  to  be  applied  by  the  Society  Com- 
mittee (for  the  time  being)  for  paying  the  Revd. 
Mr.  Sol.  Wolcott  for  the  time  he  has  been  here,  and 
to  hire  a  preacher  for  Three  months  or  more  to  come 
and  the  Committee  to  be  accountable  to  the  Society. 
We  do  hereby  engage  to  pay  into  the  hands  of  sd 
Committee  the  several  sums  annexed  to  our  Names, 
to  be  by  them  applied  accordingly.  New  London, 
Octo.  4,  1782."  This  was  Rev.  Solomon  Wolcott. 
There  is  no  notice  of  any  other  preacher  till  May 
10,  1785  when  the  society's  committee  were  instruct- 
ed to  "invite  Rev.  Mr.  Patten  to  supply  the  Pulpit 
whenever  his  Health  shall  admit  of  it."  This  was 
Rev.  William  Patten.*     Miss  Caulkins  says  that  he 

*Mi8s  Caulkins  calls  him  Nathaniel  Patten.    But  there  was  no  Congre- 
gational clergyman  of  that  name  in  Connecticut.    William  Patten  was  the 
-son  of  Kev.  William  Patten,  pastor  the  South  Church,  Hartford. 


204      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

preached  here  during  the  whole  of  1785,  and  the  first 
part  of  1786.  All  that  appears  relative  to  the  matter 
is  the  vote  just  quoted.  There  is  good  reason  to 
suppose  that  he  occupied  this  pulpit  till  nearly,  or 
quite  the  time  when  Mr.  Channing  first  came  to 
New  London.  For  in  December  1786  Mr.  Chan- 
ning was  here  as  a  supply,  if  not  as  a  candidate,  and 
it  is  not  unlikely  that  he  had  preached  here  frequent- 
ly during  the  last  half  of  that  year. 

It  appears  then  that  we  can  definitely  account  for 
the  supply  of  the  pulpit  during  three  years  and  a  half 
of  the  interval  between  the  death  of  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  and  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Channing.  Dur- 
ing a  portion  of  the  time  services  may  have  been 
omitted,  owing  to  the  low  state  of  the  parish  treas- 
ury, the  low  spiritual  state  of  the  church,  and  the 
dilapidated  condition  of  the  meeting-house,  which 
rendered  it  unfit  for  service  in  the  cold  weather. 

Nine  children  were  baptized  by  neighboring 
clergymen  during  the  interim.  The  records  show 
that  the  halfway  covenant  was  still  in  use  by  the 
church.  During  this  time  Joseph  Harris  and  Wil- 
liam Douglas  were  chosen  deacons.  In  spite  of  the 
absence  of  a  pastor,  the  functions  of  a  church  were 
not  altogether  suspended. 

However,  the  state  of  religion  was  very  low.  The 
picture,  as  it  is  drawn  by  Miss  Caulkins  and  Dr. 
Hallam  is  not  a  bright  one.  The  long  period  of 
the  Revolutionary  conflict  had  damaged  society.  I 
quote  Miss  Caulkins'  words.  'There  was  no  reg- 
ular minister  of  any  sect  remaining  in  New  London  ; 


THE   INTERIM.  205 

the  schools  were  in  a  great  measure  broken  up ; 
wives  were  without  husbands  to  provide  for  them ; 
children  were  without  fathers  to  guide  and  govern 
them.  Want  was  in  many  instances  the  parent  of 
vice.  For  eight  years  the  town  had  been  like  a 
great  military  garrison ;  a  resort  for  privateersmen 
and  state  and  continental  vessels ;  it  had  been  kept 
in  continual  alarm,  scarcely  a  day  passing  when  the 
sails  of  the  enemy  were  not  in  sight,  either  hovering 
like  birds  of  prey,  ready  to  pounce  upon  the  prop- 
erty of  the  inhabitants,  or  skirting  like  thunder- 
clouds the  distant  horizon,  menacing  an  immediate 
attack ;  and  at  last  it  had  actually  been  plundered 
and  burnt  by  the  enemy.  As  a  natural  result,  ig- 
norance, discord,  profanity,  and  rowdyism  were  la- 
mentably prevalent."  [Hist.  N.  L.  p.  573.]  Rev. 
Joseph  Strong,  D.  D.,  of  Norwich  preached  here, 
not  long  after  the  destruction  of  the  town,  in  the  old 
Saltonstall  meeting-house  on  the  hill,  which  for 
some  reason,  did  not  suffer  the  fate  of  the  Episcopal 
church  which  stood  on  the  parade.  The  scenes 
which  he  describes  seem  impossible  to  us.  Before 
service  there  were  loud  talking  and  laughing  around 
the  house,  in  the  porch,  and  even  in  the  pews.  Dur- 
ing the  service  the  whispering,  the  moving  about, 
and  other  disturbances  were  so  annoying  that  it 
was  with  difficulty  that  he  proceeded.  No  sooner 
was  the  service  over  than  the  uproar  began  again. 
The  galleries  were  in  tumult.  Young  people  would 
call  out  to  each  other  from  side  to  side,  and  indulge 
in  jesting  and  laughing  illy  becoming  the  time  and 


206       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

place.  Boys  and  girls  stamped,  and  pushed  each 
other,  and  rushed  violently  out.  Before  Dr.  Strong 
could  reach  his  lodging  place,  the  young  lads,  and 
even  some  of  the  men  had  gathered  into  parties  to 
play  ball,  or  pitch  quoits.  The  war  had  ruined  the 
town  in  more  senses  than  one.  The  tide  of  un- 
belief, which  seems  to  have  come  in  with  the  close 
of  the  conflict,  reduced  the  spiritual  life  and  power 
of  the  churches  to  a  state  bordering  on  death. 

The  return  of  peace  at  last  brought  back  pros- 
perity. The  moral  tone  of  the  community  began 
to  improve.  But  the  spiritual  life  of  this  churchy 
which  had  receded  from  the  high  mark  reached 
in  the  Great  Awakening  of  nearly  half  a  century  be- 
fore, into  the  darkness  almost  of  spiritual  death, 
did  not  fully  recover  its  tone  till  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury was  well  under  way. 


VIII. 

THE   MINISTRY   OF    HENRY    CHANNING. 
May  17,  1787.— May  21,  1806. 

THE   PARISH. 


The  first  official  step,  towards  this  pastorate,  was 
the  following  vote  of  the  parish,  January  19,  1787 — 
the  date  on  which  the  pews  in  the  new  meeting- 
house were  "bid  of."  "Voted  that  this  meeting  be 
adjourned  to  Friday  next,  then  to  take  into  Consid- 
eration, the  calling  of  a  minister  to  preach  to  this 
Society  on  probation."  At  this  adjourned  meeting 
January  26,  it  was  "voted  that  the  standing  Society 
Comtee  be  desired  to  invite  Mr.  Henry  Channing 
to  preach  to  this  society  on  probation  for  the  Term 
of  three  months."  It  seems  that  he  had  preached 
in  New  London  before  this  formal  vote,  but  prob- 
ably as  an  occasional  supply,  after  Mr.  Patten's  la- 
bors ceased.  For  December  20,  1786,  Hannah  Oc- 
cuish,  an  Indian  girl,  was  executed  for  the  murder 
of  Eunice,  the  daughter  of  James  Bolles.  The  gal- 
lows were  erected  near  the  corner  of  Granite  street, 
in  the  rear  of  the  old  meeting-house.  In  accordance 
with  the  custom  of  the  times,  the  occasion  was  im- 
proved by  the  delivery  of  a  sermon,  which  was 
preached  by  Rev.  Henry  Channing  of  Yale  College. 


208        LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

It  was  printed  by  Timothy  Green,  and  was  entitled 
"God  admonishing  his  people  of  their  duty,  as  pa- 
rents and  masters." 

The  invitation  of  the  society  was  accepted.  For 
February  13,  of  the  same  year,  less  than  three  weeks 
after  the  vote  to  invite  him  to  preach  here  on  pro- 
bation, the  society  met,  and  "Voted  unanimously, 
That  this  Society  will  give  Mr.  Henry  Channing  a 
Call  to  Settle  as  a  Gospel  Minister  in  this  society, 
and  that  they  Offer  Mr.  Channing  as  a  Sallary  one 
Hundred  and  forty  pounds  per  year  as  long  as  he 
shall  continue  their  Minister."  The  standing  com- 
mittee were  instructed  to  wait  upon  him,  with  a 
copy  of  the  society's  vote,  and  request  his  answer ; 
which  they  did  by  a  letter  dated  February  15.  Con- 
trary to  the  custom  of  today,  and  of  later  Congrega- 
tional usage,  the  society  took  the  initial  step,  and 
seem  to  have  invited  the  concurrence  of  the  church. 
For  ''At  a  Meeting  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ 
in  New  London,  held  March  ist  1787,  Voted,  unan- 
imously, that  this  church  invite  Mr.  Henry  Chan- 
ning to  settle  with  them  in  the  Gospel  Ministry 
agreeably  to  the  vote  and  invitation  of  the  society 
for  that  purpose."  This  vote,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
society,  having  been  communicated  to  Mr.  Chan- 
ning, his  reply  dated  March  8  was  received  and  read 
to  a  meeting  of  the  society,  April  12,  1787.  It  was 
as  follows : 

New  London  March  8,  1787. 
Gentlemen, 

Your   Favor   of   the   15th   Ult.    communicated   a   unanimous 
vote  of  the  first  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  this  City,  inviting  me 


channing's  ministry.  209 

to  settle  with  them  in  the  Gospel  ministry.  I  have  also  re- 
ceived the  vote  of  the  church  in  said  Society,  concurring  with 
the  invitation  of  the  society. 

Having  taken  these  communications  into  serious  considera- 
tion; and  having  committed  my  self,  as  I  humbly  hope  with 
sincerity  and  resignation  to  the  guidance  of  the  Father  of 
Spirits,  the  fountain  of  wisdom,  I  am  at  length  prepared  to 
give  my  answer  to  the  invitation  of  the  Church  and  Society. 

When  I  consider  the  arduous  duties  which  are  incumbent 
upon  the  Ministers  of  Christ:  "They  watch  for  Souls  as  they 
that  must  give  account:"  I  cannot  enter  upon  the  solemn 
charge  without  many  fears,  and  a  weighty  sense  of  the  words 
of  an  Apostle  "Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?"  But  as  I 
have  been  led  to  devote  myself  to  this  service,  I  am  willing 
to  spend  and  be  spent  in  it,  believing  that  "I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  strengthening  me." 

I  have  ever  determined  to  follow  the  indications  of  the  will 
of  Heaven  respecting  my  settlement  in  life;  hoping  to  be  di- 
rected to  that  situation  where  there  should  be  a  prospect  of 
usefulness  and  mutual  happiness.  From  your  representation. 
Gentlemen,  and  my  own  observation,  I  am  led  to  view  this  as 
the  present  prospect  in  your  Society. 

I  do  therefore  accept  the  invitation  of  this  church  and  so- 
ciety: and  do  consent  to  settle  with  them  in  the  Gospel  Minis- 
try, on  the  terms  proposed  by  you  in  behalf  of  the  society. 

May  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  own  us  in  this  new  re- 
lation, and  make  us  faithful  unto  death.  And  may  it  issue 
in  the  salvation  of  the  Souls  of  many,  and  in  the  advancement 
of  the  interests  of  the  Redeemer. 

I  am  Gentlemen 
Respectfully 

Yr  hble  Servt 
HENRY  CHANNING. 

The  Committee  of  the  first  Ecclesiastical  Society,  New  Lon- 
don. 


210      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

After  hearing  this  letter  read,  the  society  voted 
to  settle  Mr.  Charming,  agreeably  to  their  proposal 
and  his  answer,  and  appointed  Thomas  Shaw  Esqr. 
Mr.  Amasa  Learned,  Mr.  David  Manwaring,  Josh- 
ua Coit  Esqr.,  and  Mr.  Jeremiah  G.  Brainard,  a 
committee  to  confer  with  Mr.  Channing,  fix  upon 
the  time  of  his  ordination,  and  agree  upon  and  in- 
vite the  council.     The  same  gentlemen  were  also 
made  a  committee  to  make  provision  for  entertain- 
ing the  council  and  the  clergymen  attending  the 
ordination.     At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  April 
26,  1787,  Thursday,  May  17,  was  fixed  upon  for  the 
event.     It   was    also    voted    to   invite   the    follow- 
ing clergymen  and  churches ;  Rev.  Ezra  Stiles  D. 
D.,  LL.  D.,  President  of  Yale  College;  Rev.  Samuel 
Wales  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  Yale  Col- 
lege ;  Rev.  Levi  Hart  of  Preston ;  Rev.  Elijah  Par- 
sons   of    East    Haddam ;    Rev.    Aaron    Kinne    of 
Groton ;    Rev.    Joseph    Strong   of   Norwich ;    Rev. 
Achilles  Mansfield  of  Killingworth ;  Rev.  Roswell 
Cook  of  Montville ;  Rev.  William  Patten  of  New- 
port and  Rev.  Noah  Atwater.     All  these  men,  ex- 
cept   Mr.    Atwater    were    present    at    the    council 
which  met  on  the  sixteenth  of  May.     The  seven 
churches    invited    were    represented    by    delegates 
as  well  as  pastors.     These  were  Mr.  Abiel  Holmes, 
Mr.  John  Tyler,  Deacon  Simon  Huntington,  Mr. 
Israel  Champion,  Mr.  Samuel  Edgecomb,  Deacon 
Joseph  Chester,  Mr.  Job  Bissell.     Of  the  council 
thus  composed,  Rev.  Dr.  Ezra  Stiles  was  chosen 
moderator,  and  Rev.  Elijah  Parsons  scribe.     The 


channing's  ministry.  211 

usual  course  was  pursued.     The  papers  relating  to 
the  call  were  read,  and  Mr.  Channing  was  examined 
as    to   his    "knowledge,    faith    and    experience    in 
Christianity."     Upon    the    question    whether    the 
council  approved  "of  him  as  a  person  well  qualified 
for  the  office  of  a  Gospel  Minister,"  and  whether 
the   council   would   proceed   to   his   ordination   on 
the    following    day,    the    vote    was    unanimously 
in   the   affirmative.     The   parts   assigned   were   as 
follows :  Rev.  Dr.  Stiles  was  appointed,  agreeably 
to  previous  arrangements,  to  preach  the  sermon; 
Rev.  Mr.  Mansfield  was  to  of¥er  the  opening  prayer, 
the  Rev.  Levi  Hart  the  prayer  of  ordination,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Wales  was  to  give  the  charge  to  the  pas- 
tor, the  Rev.  Joseph  Strong  was  to  extend  the  right 
hand  of  fellowship,  and  the  Rev.  William  Patten 
was  appointed  to  offer  the  closing  prayer.     There 
was  no  charge  to  the  people.     On  the  next  day,  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  May  17,  1787,  the 
council  met  and  carried  out  the  order  of  services 
provided  the  day  before,  as  appears  from  the  fol- 
lowing,  quoted   from   the   records   of  the   church. 
**May  17.     The  council  met  according  to  adjourn- 
ment and  proceeded  to  consecrate  Mr.  Channing  to 
the  work  of  the  Gospel  Ministry,  by  solemn  Prayer, 
and  by  laying  on  the  hands  of  the  Revd.  Messrs. 
Stiles,  Wales,  Parsons,  Hart  and  Strong  commit- 
ting to  his  charge  the  pastoral  care  of  said  Church 
and  Society."     The  long  interval  was  over.     The 
church  once  more  had  a  pastor.     For  entertaining 


212      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

the  council,  Pember  Caulkins  was  paid  ''Nine 
pounds  Lawful  money." 

At  this  point  we  may  enquire  about  the  man  him- 
self. Rev.  Henry  Channing  was  the  son  of  John 
and  Mary  Channing  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  where  he 
was  born  in  1759.  He  was  for  a  time  under  the 
ministry  of  the  famous  Rev.  Samuel  Hopkins,  D., 
D.,  whose  fame  and  distinction  as  a  theologian 
have  come  down  to  the  present.  He  gave  promi- 
nence to  the  sterner  doctrines  in  their  most  pro- 
nounced form.  This  strong  meat,  on  which  young 
Channing  was  fed,  between  1770  and  1777  ^^^  ^^t 
a  little  to  do,  it  is  safe  to  infer,  with  determining  his 
future  beliefs. 

Henry  Channing  graduated  from  Yale  College  in 
the  class  of  1781.  He  was  a  tutor  in  the  institu- 
tion from  1783  to  1786.  Evidently  he  took  high 
rank  as  a  scholar.  September  25,  1787,  he  was 
married  to  Sarah  McCurdy  of  Lyme.  Mr.  Chan- 
ning probably  lived  in  the  parsonage  given  to  the 
society  November  9,  1790  by  Mr.  Thomas  Shaw, 
which  is  still  standing  on  Main  street. 

An  important  work  which  the  new  pastor  found 
on  his  hands,  was  the  completion  of  the  meeting- 
house, whose  pews  had  been  rented  the  week  before 
the  society  invited  him  to  preach  here  as  a  candi- 
date. At  the  meeting  at  which  his  reply  to  their 
call  to  the  pastorate  was  read,  April  12,  1787,  the 
motion  was  made  and  carried,  "that  this  Society 
make  application  to  the  General  Assembly  in  May 
next,  to  grant  a  Lottery  to  raise  the  Sum  of  Two 


channing's  ministry.  213 

Thousand  Dollars  for  the  purpose  of  finishing  the 
new  meeting  House.  Messrs  Joshua  Coit,  Jere- 
miah G.  Brainard  and  Amasa  Learned,  Chosen  a 
Comtee  to  draft  a  petition  for  the  above  purpose. 
Voted,  That  the  Representatives  of  the  Tov^n  to  the 
Genl  Assembly,  be  desired  to  present  the  Said  Pe- 
tition to  the  Assembly  and  indeavor  to  obtain  a 
grant  for  the  Same."  The  petition  was  drawn  up, 
and  successfully  presented  to  the  legislature.  For 
on  the  eleventh  of  June  a  society  meeting  was  held, 
at  which  the  act  of  the  Assembly  was  read,  and  a 
committee  of  gentlemen  chosen  as  managers  of  the 
proposed  lottery.     The  act  was  as  follows : 

"At  a  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  holden 
at  Hartford  on  the  2d  Thursday  of  May  1787. 

"On  the  Memorial  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  first  Ecclesiasti- 
cal Society  in  the  Town  of  New  London  Showing  to  this  As- 
sembly that,  in  the  course  of  the  late  War,  they  have  suffered 
various  Misfortunes,  that  their  Meeting  House  has  gone  to 
Decay  and  become  unfit  for  a  place  of  Public  Worship,  That  by 
voluntary  Contribution  they  have  raised  and  Covered  a  new 
Meeting  House  but  are  unable  to  furnish  the  same  unless  they 
are  Assisted  by  this  Assembly  and  praying  that  they  may  be 
Authorized  and  permitted  to  Raise  the  sum  of  Six  Hundred 
pounds  by  Lottery  for  finishing  said  Meeting  House  as  per 
Memorial  on  file.  Resolved  by  this  Assembly  that  said  So- 
ciety be  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  and  permitted  to 
make  a  Lottery  for  the  purpose  of  Raising  the  sum  of  Six 
Hundred  pounds,  or  a  less  sum  as  they  mayu-Judge  expedi- 
ent and  that  said  Society  have  Liberty  to  Appoint  such  per- 
sons for  the  Management  as  they  shall  think  proper  and 
that  said  Society  in  their  said  Corporal  Capacity  be  Liable 
for  the  payment  of  the  several  prizes  that  shall  be  Drawn  by 


214       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

the  fortunate  numbers  and  that  said  Lottery  shall  be  Drawn 
and  Compleated  within  Eighteen  months  from  the  Rising  of 
this  Assembly." 

At  the  meeting  of  April  12,  1781,  it  was  also  "Vo- 
ted that  this  Society  will  attempt  to  Raise  the  sum 
of  four  hundred  pounds  by  Lottery;"  and  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen  were  chosen  as  managers  of  the 
scheme,  namely,  Richard  Law  Esqr.,  Thomas  Shaw 
Esqr.,  David  Manwaring,  Amasa  Learned,  Guy 
Richards,  Marvin  Wait  Esqr.,  and  Joshua  Coit 
Esqr.  But  this  lottery  scheme  never  was  carried 
out.  For  June  28,  1788  it  was  "Voted  that  the  So- 
ciety Comt  be  requested  to  form  a  subscription  and 
send  around  for  such  Sum  or  Sums  as  on  Examina- 
tion they  shall  judge  best  for  the  purpose  of  paint- 
ing the  meeting  house  Erecting  the  Spire  making 
new  pews  and  finishing  Sd  house,  and  to  be  laid 
before  the  society  at  a  future  meeting."  Septem- 
ber 6,  1788  the  committee  reported  to  the  society 
that,  agreeably  to  this  vote,  they  had  "formed  a 
Subscription  and  Sent  round  for  the  Sum  of  Five 
hundred  pounds,"  for  the  purposes  specified  in  the 
vote,  and  that  it  "had  arrived  to"  the  sum  named. 
A  committee  was  chosen  to  "Contract  with  some 
person  or  persons,"  to  complete  the  new  house  of 
worship.  That  committee  consisted  of  Amasa 
Learned,  George  Colfax  and  John  Woodward. 
The  subscription  referred  to  was  dated  June  28, 
1788 — the  day  on  which  the  society  instructed  its 
committee  to  make  the  attempt  to  raise  the  money. 
It  was  as  follows  : 


channing's  ministry.  215 

Wee  the  Subscribers  for  the  Laudable  Purpose  of  finishing 
the  Meeting  House  in  this  society.  Building  New  Pews  therein. 
Painting  the  House  and  Erecting  the  spire,  do  hereby  agree 
to  Pay  to  Mr.  Robert  Manwaring  or  his  order  the  following 
Sums  or  Articles  to  Our  Names  respectively  Annexed, — to  be 
Appropriated  in  such  a  manner  as  shall  be  directed  by  a  Ma- 
jority of  the  Subscribers,  Voting  according  to  the  Sums  by 
them  respectively  subscribed, — to  be  due  and  Payable  as  soon. 
as  the  subscriptions  shall  Amount  to  the  sum  of  Five  hun- 
dred pounds,  (The  Specific  Articles  Subscribed  to  be  Esti- 
mated by  a  Committee  of  the  Subscribers  if  necessary) — 
and  if  the  Subscription  shall  not  arise  to  sd  Sum  of  Five 
hundred  pounds  the  Subscribers  are  not  to  be  holden  to  their 
Subscriptions. — Witness  Our  Hands  June  28,  1788. 

Then  follow  the  names  to  the  number  of  over 
seventy.  Mr.  Thomas  Shaw  headed  the  subscrip- 
tion with  seventy  pounds  lawful  money;  Marvin 
Wait  followed  with  thirty  pounds  cash ;  Timothy 
Green  and  Guy  Richards  with  twenty-five  pounds 
each ;  Richard  Law  with  thirty  pounds ;  Gurdon 
Saltonstall  with  forty  pounds  state  money  and 
twenty  pounds  of  indigo.  Various  other  sums 
were  subscribed  in  cash,  in  labor,  in  board  for  the 
workmen,  in  materials  of  various  kinds,  in  shoe^ 
in  dry  goods,  in  West  India  goods,  in  farmers'  prod- 
uce, in  rum,  etc.  A  bill  of  Pember  Caulkins'  speaks 
for  itself.  It  is  dated  June  27,  1788.  One  of  the 
items  is  ''two  hogsheads,  two  hundred  and  ten  gal- 
lons rum,  at  three  shillings  a  gallon   £31-10-0." 

The  subscription  having  reached  the  sum  judged 
necessary,  the  committee  at  once  proceeded  to  let 
the  work  of  finishing  the  house,  agreeably  to  the 
terms  of  the  subscription.     At  a  meeting  of  the 


216      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

society  held  September  26,  1788,  upon  the  question 
whether  the  society  would  have  the  new  pews, 
which  were  to  be  made  in  the  meeting-house 
''Longe  or  square  pews,"  it  was  voted  to  have  them 
"made  square,"  At  the  same  meeting,  in  conform- 
ity with  the  choice  of  the  subscribers,  Messrs.  Lear- 
ned, Colfax  and  Woodward  were  again  chosen  as 
a  committee  to  have  in  charge  the  work  contem- 
plated. They  let  the  work  to  Mr.  Abishai  Wood- 
ward and  Mr.  Joseph  Emerson,  with  wdiom  they  en- 
tered into  an  agreement,  which,  like  the  subscrip- 
tion paper  given  above,  is  quoted  from  the  original 
document,  and  reads  as  follows : — 

This  agreement  made  the  4  day  of  October  1788  by  and  be- 
tween Amasa  Learned  George  Colfax  and  John  Woodward  of 
the  Town  and  County  of  New  London  on  the  one  part  and 
Abishai  Woodward  and  Joseph  Emerson  of  said  Town  and 
County  on  the  other  part  witnesseth  that  said  Woodward 
and  Emerson  for  and  in  Consideration  of  reward  hereafter 
mentioned  doth  agree  and  promise  to  finish  and  Complete  the 
New  Meeting  House  in  N.  London  in  manner  and  form  as 
followeth  (viz.)  to  take  dov/n  the  spire  of  the  Steeple,  and 
repair  and  replace  the  same  in  good  order  and  sufficiently 
strong  Also  to  make  two  rows  of  ballasters  round  the  steeple 
and  case  the  posts  of  the  same  to  make  a  large  arch  win- 
dow against  the  pulpit  and  a  round  window  in  the  gable 
end  and  to  make  new  thresholds  to  the  doors  and  point  the 
underpinning  and  step  stones  also  to  finish  and  Complete 
the  inside  of  the  House  in  an  elegant  and  workmanlike  man- 
ner some  what  superior  to  the  work  and  manner  of  finishing 
the  church  (viz)  to  put  up  partitions  below  and  above  in  the 
Gallery  make  three  doors  below  and  three  doors  above  make 
two  stair  Cases  make  a  new  hexagon  Canopy  suspended  by 
an  Iron  Rod  repair  the  Deacons'  seat  make  all  the  pews  new 


CHANNING'S  MINISTRY.  217 

below  as  well  as  long  pews  In  the  Gallery  build  an  arch  over 
the  Center  and  proper  Corners  round  the  foot  of  the  same  with 
Arches  at  the  Ends  and  under  the  Gallery  the  windows  in 
the  Gallery  to  be  Cased  as  those  below  and  Celled  as  high 
as  the  window  stools,  the  front  of  the  Gallery  to  be  finished 
in  a  neat  and  elegant  manner  the  posts  to  be  striped  of 
their  Cases  and  the  pillars  that  support  the  Gallery  and  arch 
to  be  Cased  in  an  octangular  form  and  fluted  with  base  and 
Capital  the  wall  posts  to  be  Cased  square  and  fluted  with  base 
and  Capital  double  floors  to  be  laid  throughout  to  lath  and 
Plaster  the  whole,  and  Paint  the  Outside  and  inside  twice 
over  with  such  colours  as  the  Society  shall  direct  except  the 
ceiling  under  the  windows  the  inside  of  the  pews  below  and 
above  and  said  Woodward  and  Emerson  are  to  furnish  all  the 
material  that  shall  be  necessary  for  Completing  said  work  and 
the  Materials  to  be  of  the  best  quality  and  said  work  to  be 
Completed  and  the  Meeting  House  finished  as  above  des- 
cribed by  the  first  day  of  Sept.  next. 

In  Consideration  whereof  the  Said  Learned  Colfax  and  Wood- 
ward doth  Agree  that  Deacon  Robert  Manwaring  shall  make 
over  and  assign  to  Said  Woodward  and  Emerson  two  Sub- 
scriptions made  for  the  purpose  of  building  and  finishing  the 
Meeting  House  and  amounting  including  thirteen  pounds  due 
from  said  Emerson  to  five  Hundred  and  Eighty  pounds  lawfull 
money — said  Woodward  and  Emerson  Taking  upon  themselves 
the  Collection  of  the  Subscriptions  with  all  risques  and  de- 
falcations that  shall  or  may  attend  the  same  of  every  Kind 
and  nature  whatsoever  in  Witness  whereof  we  the  Contracting 
parties  have  this  day  Above  writtten  interchangeably  set  our 

hands  and  seals. 

ABISHAI  WOODWARD   [seal] 

ROBERT  MANWARING       JOSEPH    EMERSON  [seal] 

CATHERINE  WELLES          AMASA    LEARNED  [seal] 

GEORGE    COLFAX  [seal] 

JOHN  WOODWARD  [seal] 


218       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

It  is  likely  that  the  lottery  scheme  was  dropped, 
and  the  new  and  successful  effort  made  to  raise  the 
money  by  subscription,  partly  at  any  rate,  if  not 
altogether  through  the  influence  of  the  new  pastor. 

As  new  pews  were  to  be  put  into  the  house  in 
place  of  the  old  ones  which  were  to  be  removed, 
the  question  of  their  rental  for  the  year  1789  be- 
came a  somewhat  complicated  one.  Therefore  at 
a  society  meeting  held  January  19,  1789  the  ques- 
tion was  put  ''whether  the  Society  will  let  out  the 
Pews  for  one  year  Subject  to  the  inconvenience  of 
having  the  present  pews  pul'd  down  for  new  pews 
to  be  built,  and  then  to  improve  the  new  pews  to 
the  end  of  the  year  and  have  the  ground  rent  of  the 
pews  continued  through  the  whole  of  the  ensuing 
year,  or  only  Lease  them  until  they  are  pulled 
down."  Upon  ''division  of  the  house"  it  was  voted 
to  lease  the  pews  for  the  whole  year  "subject  to  the 
inconvenience  affore  said."  Accordingly  they  were 
sold  for  the  year  1789,  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  Jan- 
uary, for  the  sum  of  £125-11-7.  After  the  house 
was  finished  there  were  fifty-eight  pews  on  the  floor, 
and  thirty-two  in  the  gallery — a  total  of  ninety 
pews,  of  which  all  but  eight  were  sold  in  January 
1790,  at  the  first  sale  after  the  house  was  finished. 
The  rentals  on  this  occasion  amounted  to  £143. 
The  work  seems  to  have  been  finished  nearly  at  the 
time  called  for  by  the  agreement.  For  on  the 
church  records  is  an  entry  fixing  the  date  when 
divine  service  was  resumed  in  the  finished  house. 
It  is  as  follows,  "Nov.  8   [1789]    This  day  divine 


channing's  ministry.  219 

service  is  attended  in  the  House  of  worship,  it  be- 
ing now  completed,  and  on  this  day  renewedly  ded- 
icated to  the  worship  of  Almighty  God." 

On  the  same  day  Rebecca  Mumford  was  received 
"from  the  English  Church  N.  London  ;"  that  is  from 
Saint  James. 

There  was  a  clock  in  the  tower  of  the  new  church, 
which  seems  to  have  been  put  there  very  soon  after 
it  was  finished.  As  the  following  letter  shows  it 
seems  to  have  lacked  proper  care  at  the  first.  The 
letter  bears  date  of  December  i,  1790,  and  was  writ- 
ten from  Norwich,  to  Marvin  Wait,  by  one  Thomas 
Harland  and  reads  as  follows : 

:Sr. 

Being  unwell  I  sent  the  Bearer  to  see  what  was  amiss  in 
your  clock  from  whence  he  has  just  now  returned.  Had  the 
person  who  winds  the  clock  known  where  to  have  apply'd 
a  few  drops  of  oyl  the  difficulty  would  have  been  prevented; 
from  whence  you  will  see  the  propriety  of  having  the  clock 
wound  up  by  a  person  who  is  acquainted  with  the  business. 

Mr.  Gurdon  Tracey  was  at  my  House  last  week  and  says 
He  would  be  glad  to  wind  up  and  take  the  whole  care  of  it 
for  a  reasonable  compensation.  Should  you  see  cause  to  give 
him  the  charge  of  it  I  have  no  doubt  of  his  doing  it  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  At  the  same  time  should  any 
part  of  the  work  fail  or  give  way  I  shall  be  ever  ready  to 
■wait  upon  you  at  the  shortest  notice.    I  am  Sir 

Your  most  obliged  humble  Servant 

THOMAS  HARLAND. 

It  seems  probable,  from  this  letter  that  the  clock 
was  procured  of  Mr.  Harland,  or  through  him. 
His  suggestion  as  to  Mr.  Tracy  seems  to  have  been 
acted  upon.     For  January  9,  1792  the  committee  of 


220      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

the  society  gave  him  an  order  for  "forty  shilHngs, 
being  for  keeping  the  clock  in  repare  for  one  year 
to  this  date."  Mr.  Tracy  died  before  July,  for  an 
order  was  given  to  "Richard  Douglas  the  2d,  ad- 
ministrator on  the  estate  of  Gurdon  Tracey  de- 
ceased," for  the  sum  of  £3,  3s.  46,  "for  taking 
charge  and  winding  up  the  clock  from  Dec.  ist 
1790  to  1st  July  1792,  being  one  year  and  seven 
months  at  40s  pr  anno."  Later  orders  were  given 
to  different  men  "for  keeping  the  clock  in  repare 
and  winding  it  up  for  the  past  year." 

In  1793  an  order  given  to  Abishai  Woodward 
shows  that  the  meeting-house  was  then  furnished 
with  blinds.  In  1794,  five  years  after  its  comple- 
tion, it  was  found  necessary  to  do  some  work  on 
the  tower  of  the  church,  as  the  following  shows. 

New  London  Augt  15,  1794. 
Sir. 

The  Comtee  find  it  necessary  to  send  to  New  York  for  an- 
other Role  of  Lead,  to  finish  leading  the  meeting  House 
Tower   and   request   you   to    Send   me   of   the   Society   Money 

Fifty  Dollars  £15-0-0. 

Yr.  Huml  Servt 

GUY  RICHARDS,  Comtee. 
Mr.  Robert  Manwaring  Treasr  first  Society  N.  L. 

This  work  was  done  before  April  1795,  at  a  cost 
of  £8,  7s.  In  1804  considerable  money  was  spent 
in  painting  and  repairing  the  church.  There  are 
bills  for  gilding  the  vane,  balls,  and  dials  of  the 
clock ;  for  work,  and  painting  on  the  steeple ;  for 
paints,  white  lead  and  oil;  for  gold  leaf;  for  "sheet 


channing's  ministry.  221 

copper  bot  at  Hartford,"  and  various  other  items, 
showing  that  after  seventeen  years  the  edifice  un- 
derwent quite  extensive  repairs.  In  some  of  the 
bills  it  was  called  "the  Presbyterian  Meeting  House 
in  this  city." 

In  the  year  1790  Mr.  Thomas  Shaw  deeded  to  the 
society  a  house  on  Main  street,  still  standing  just 
north  of  the  corner  of  Richards  street.  This  house, 
thus  put  into  the  possession  of  the  society  by  the 
generous  gift  of  Mr.  Shaw  became  the  parsonage 
of  the  church,  and  was  occupied  for  that  purpose 
until  1834,  when  Dr.  McEwen  purchased  and  re- 
moved to  the  house  now  occupied  by  Dr.  F.  M. 
Braman,  nearly  opposite  the  First  Church.  The 
deed  of  gift  was  dated  November  9,  and  included 
the  house  already  named  and  the  grounds  belong- 
ing to  it,  together  with  certain  other  pieces  of 
ground  known  as  the  Parsonage  Lots,  and  thus 
described :  ''consisting  of  two  tracts  or  parcles  of 
land,  one  of  which  is  bounded  northerly  and  west- 
erly by  land  of  Thomas  Fitch  2d,  easterly  by  Wil- 
liams street,  and  southerly  by  the  Hartford  and  New 
London  Turnpike  Road ;  and  the  other  is  bounded 
Northerly  by  said  Turnpike  Road,  Easterly  by  said 
Williams  street,  southerly  by  land  now  or  late  be- 
longing to  David  Lewis,  and  Westerly  by  land  now 
or  late  belonging  to  Gurdon  Crocker."  That  is 
these  lots  comprised  what  is  now  Williams  Park  on 
the  north  of  Broad  street,  and  the  land  on  the  south 
of  Broad  street  now  occupied  by  the  houses  of  Ex- 
Mayor  Johnston,  Captain  Samuel  Belden,  Mrs.  W. 


222      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

S.  Eakin,  Mr.  C.  D.  Boss  Jr.,  and  also  probably  of 
the  late  W.  W.  Sheffield.  The  pastor  of  the  church 
had  an  inalienable  right  in  these  lands,  by  virtue  of 
his  office,  which  right  helped  to  make  up  his  annual 
salary.  This  gift  remained  the  property  of  the  par- 
ish till  the  lots  and  parsonage  were  sold  in  1850  and 
51,  and  the  proceeds  applied  toward  the  erection 
of  the  present  house  of  worship. 

Until  1790  the  annual  meetings  of  the  parish  had 
been  held  in  January  of  each  year.  The  pews  had 
been  rented  at  this  time  for  the  next  twelve  months. 
January  17th,  1791  the  following  vote  was  passed. 
"Whereas  it  will  be  more  convenient  for  holding 
the  Annual  Society  meeting  and  Leting  the  pews 
commence  at  a  Warmer  Season  of  the  year.  Voted 
that  the  Pews  be  now  Let  for  the  term  of  fifteen 
months,  and  that  after  the  Expiration  of  Said  fif- 
teen months  for  the  term  of  twelve  months  annually, 
and  that  the  Society  Comtee  be  Directed  to  warn 
the  annual  Society  meeting  as  near  the  17th  Day 
of  april  as  Convenient."  This  was  the  beginning 
of  holding  the  annual  meetings  of  the  society,  as 
is  now  done,  in  April. 

Until  1792  the  old  cemetery  had  served  the  town. 
April  16  of  that  year  a  vote  was  passed  by  this  so- 
ciety instructing  its  committee  "to  consider  of  pro- 
curing a  place  for  a  new  burying  Ground ;  or  enlarg- 
ing the  old  one,  to  be  owned  by  the  Town  at  large, 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  present  Burying  ground 
is  owned."  They  were  instructed  to  confer  with 
any  other  committee  appointed  for  the  same  pur- 


channing's  ministry.  223 

pose,  and  to  take  measures  to  raise  the  money  by 
subscription  to  pay  for  such  a  burying  ground,  so 
as  in  no  way  to  involve  the  society  in  expense. 
This  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  preHminary 
steps  toward  securing  what  was  long  known  as  the 
second  burial  ground,  but  is  now  the  beautiful  and 
sightly  Memorial  Park.  The  committee  appointed 
by  the  city  was  Samuel  Wheat,  David  Manwaring 
and  Richard  W.  Parkin.  March  21,  1793  they  were 
"empowered  and  directed  to  purchase  Capt.  Mel- 
laly's  lot  at  the  price  of  £120."  It  was  paid  for 
by  a  tax  of  four  pence  on  the  pound  and  the  ground 
rents  of  the  city.  The  first  burial  in  this  new  cem- 
etery was  that  of  Mary,  the  widow  of  Thomas  Rice, 
who  was  buried  in  it  May  19,  1793.  Distinguished 
persons  were  subsequently  interred  here;  Bishop 
Seabury,  whose  remains  were  afterwards  removed 
to  the  vault  of  Saint  James'  Church ;  Gen.  Jedediah 
Huntington,  whose  remains  were  subsequently  re- 
moved to  the  family  vault  in  Norwich ;  Hon.  Rich- 
ard Law ;  Capt.  Richard  Law ;  Hon.  Lyman  Law 
and  others. 

The  bell  which  hung  in  the  tower  of  the  Salton- 
stall  meeting-house,  and  which  was  given  to  the 
town  by  Governor  Fitz-John  Winthrop  in  1698,  was 
removed  to  the  tower  of  the  new  house  of  worship. 
But  in  1794  it  seems  to  have  been  cracked  and  ren- 
dered unfit  for  use.  For  July  i,  of  that  year  Ben- 
jamin Hanks,  of  Mansfield,  signed  the  following 
agreement  to  furnish  a  new  bell  to  replace  the  one 
which  had  been  in  use  ninety-eight  years. 


224      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

I  agree  with  Mr.  Colfax  one  of  the  committee  of  the  first 
society  New  London  to  Cast  a  bell  of  about  860  lb  weigh  in- 
tludelng*  the  Clapper  at  2/  per  pound,  said  Bell  to  be  war- 
ranted to  be  good  as  to  sound  to  the  exceptance  of  the  Com- 
mittee, and  warranted  to  hold  sound  one  year  with  good  us- 
age said  bell  is  to  be  delivered  at  Norwich  landing  free  from, 
expence  to  the  Committee,  and  I  agree  to  give  directions  in 
hanging  the  bell  at  New  London.  I  further  a,gree  to  Receive 
the  old  Bell  that  is  brocke  at  New  London  at  Norwich  land- 
ing at  1/  5  per  pound  intludeing*  the  Clapper  in  part  pay 
twords  the  new  bell — the  new  bell  is  to  be  delivered  at  Nor- 
wich landing  in  about  three  weeks  from  the  date,  July  1,  1794. 

BENJ.   HANKS. 

Evidently  this  proposition  was  accepted,  and  the 
beU  furnished  by  Mr.  Hanks.  For  the  following 
bond  relating  thereto  was  given,  sealed,  and  signed 
on  the  seventh  day  of  August : 

Know  all  Men  by  there  presents  That  I  Benjamin  Hanks  of 
Mansfield  in  Windham  County  am  held  and  firmly  bound  to 
Robert  Manwaring  of  New  London  in  New  London  County 
Treasurer  of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  society  in  sd  New  Lon- 
don and  to  his  Successors  in  sd  Office  for  use  of  said  Society 
in  the  Penal  sum  of  Eighty  Pounds  L,  money  (lawful  money) 
to  the  which  payment  well  and  truly  to  be  made  and  done 
I  bind  myself  my  Heirs  etc  to  sd  Manwaring  and  his  Suc- 
cessors. Signed  Sealed  etc  at  New  London  this  7th  of  August, 
1794. 

THE  CONDITION  of  this  Obligation  is  such  that  Whereas 
sd  Hanks  has  this  day  sold  a  Bell  to  sd  Society  and  it  is  now 
hung  up  in  the  Steeple  of  the  Meeting  House  in  sd  Society, 
and  said  Hanks  hereby  agrees  with  sd  society,  that  sd  Bell 


*This  is  the  way  this  word  seems  to  be  spelled  in  the  original  manu- 
script and  seems  to  be  meant  for  including.  Probably  Mr.  Hanks  spelled 
the  word  as  he  pronounced  it. 


channing's  ministry.  225 

is  Sound  and  every  way  compleat,  and  that  if  it  should  break 
or  crack  within  One  year  from  this  day  being  used  and  man- 
aged fairly  and  properly  he  is  to  make  good  the  Damage.  And 
there  being  some  flaws  in  sd  Bell  sd  Hanks  agrees  that  those 
flaws  are  no  detriment  to  it,  and  that  if  it  fails  by  reason  of  sd 
flaws  at  any  time  to  Come  whatever,  that  he  will  be  ever 
held  to  make  good  all  Damage.  Now  therefore  if  sd  Bell 
proves  Deficient  as  aforesd,  within  One  year  or  afterwards 
proves  deficient  on  accot  of  sd  fiaws — then  the  above  Bond 
to  be  in  full  force  but  if  it  proves  sound  and  good  then  the 
same  is  to  be  void. 

BENJAMIN  HANKS   [seal] 

This  bell  probably  served  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  put  in  the  tower  of  the  meeting-house  till  1831, 
when  a  new  one  was  purchased. 

In  passing  it  may  be  noted  that  money  was  not 
always  easy  with  the  society  or  its  inhabitants  in 
those  days.  A  list  of  people  who  were  indebted 
to  it  in  1794,  principally  for  pew  rents,  shows  the 
amount  to  have  been  £70-11-2,  owed  by  forty-five 
men  ;  some  of  them  the  leading  men  of  the  town  and 
parish.  On  this  about  £5  only,  had  been  paid. 
This  shows  the  financial  straits  of  those  times. 
For  the  men  whose  names  are  given  always  gave 
liberally,  and  paid  promptly  when  they  could. 

Certain  votes  recorded  upon  the  parish  records 
point  to  the  vital  connection  which  the  First  Ec- 
clesiastical Society  had  with  the  schools  of  the  town. 
For  example  September  i,  1786,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
First  Ecclesiastical  Society,  it  was  'Voted  that 
Messrs  Timothy  Green,  John  Hallam  and  John 
Owen  the  Grand  school  Committee,  be  a  Comtee 


226      LATER  HISTORY   OP   THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

or  agents  to  Collect  in  and  devise  the  Society  School 
Moneys  Called  the  new  Township  money." 

February  3,  1794  "a  Society  Meeting  of  the  In- 
habitants legally  warned"  was  held  to  consult 
"wheather  they  will  move  the  school  house  (where 
the  Free  School  is  now  kept)  or  build  a  new  one." 
This  house  here  referred  to  was  the  one  which  Hon. 
Benj.  Stark  says  was  built  in  1738,  and  stood  "some- 
where in  the  open  fields  west  of  the  present 
Meridian  street."  It  was  the  second  school  house 
in  New  London.  At  the  meeting  of  the  inhabit- 
ants above  referred  to  David  Manwaring,  George 
D.  Avery  and  Guy  Richards  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  apply  for  permission  to  use  the  whole  or 
part  of  the  court  house  for  school  purposes.  At  an 
adjourned  meeting,  held  February  8,  it  was  voted 
to  make  no  further  proposals  ''relative  to  the  Court 
House"  ''that  this  society  (the  first  school  society) 
will  not  repair  the  old  School  House,"  and  "this  so- 
ciety will  build  a  new  School  House."  Guy  Rich- 
ards, Jared  Starr,  George  Colfax,  Nichol  Fosdick, 
William  Hempstead,  William  Richards  and  Samuel 
Wheat  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  to  a 
subsequent  meeting,  "a  place  where  the  School 
House  may  be  most  advantageously  situated,"  "es- 
timate the  sum  the  situation  and  building  may  cost," 
"whether  it  would  be  best  to  build  with  brick  or 
wood,"  and  "the  ways  and  means  to  pay  therefor." 
February  15  this  committee  reported  as  follows: 

"We,  the  Subscribers,  being  by  the  first  School 
Society  Feby  8th,  1794  appointed  a  Comtee  to  in- 


channing's  ministry.  227 

quire  for  a  place  where  the  new  School  House  may 
be  most  advantageously  Situated,  Estimate  the  Sum 
the  Situation  and  the  building  may  Cost,  and  wheth- 
er it  would  be  best  to  build  with  Brick  or  wood, 
and  the  ways  and  means  to  pay  therefor — Beg  leave 
to  report,  that  after  deliberating  and  advising,  take- 
ing  into  consideration  the  number  of  Boys  now  at- 
tending the  free  School,  and  the  growing  State  of 
the  Society,  that  it  would  be  expedient  to  build  a 
School-House  of  the  following  dimensions  Viz. — 48 
feet  in  Length,  26  feet  in  Bredth  and  10  feet  high 
in  the  Clear — and  instead  of  a  Cellar  for  Wood  your 
Comtee  would  recommend  a  yard — We  have  also 
taken  into  consideration  whether  it  would  be  most 
expedient  to  build  with  Brick  or  Wood,  and  on  the 
best  information  wt  can  obtain,  from  our  own  cal- 
culations, and  advising  with  Carpenters  and  Ma- 
sons, are  of  opinion,  that  a  Brick  building  of  the 
above  dimentions  in  the  Clear  would  Cost  £300 — 
and  we  are  of  opinion  that  a  wooden  building  of 
the  Same  Size  in  the  clear  would  Cost  £230 — and 
by  looking  over  the  Grand  Levy  w^e  find  that  to 
build  with  wood  a  9d  Tax  would  be  necessary  and 
to  build  a  Brick  House  would  require  a  tax  of  1/ — 
Your  Comtee  therefore  (Considering  the  Largeness 
of  the  Tax)  would  recommend  to  build  with  Wood 
— as  to  ways  and  means,  to  afifect  the  same,  your 
Comtee  are  Unanimously  of  opinion,  that  a  Tax  on 
the  Society  is  the  only  eligible  mode." 

The  committee  could  not  agree  upon  a  site,  and 
so  named  several.     One  was  ''a  Lott  Joining  north. 


228      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

on  John  Weld,  three  Rods  front  and  four  Rods 
deep."  Which  could  be  bought  for  fifty  dollars ;  an- 
other was  "the  old  Court  House  Green  (so  call'd) 
which  belongs  to  the  public."  This  was  what  is 
now  known  as  Bulkeley  Square.  A  third  was  "in 
the  Highway  at  the  End  of  the  present  Court 
House."  After  listening  to  the  foregoing  report, 
the  society  voted  to  build  a  school  house  of  the 
"dimentions  recommended ;"  to  build  it  of  brick ; 
to  build  it  "on  the  Highway,  a  little  South  of  the 
Court  House,"  to  lay  a  tax  of  one  shilling  "on  the 
Poles  and  ratable  Estate  of  this  Society  on  Levey 
1793,"  "that  Capt.  Richard  Douglas  2d  be  a  Collect- 
or to  Collect  said  tax  forthwith,  that  a  convenient 
yard  for  wood  be  built,"  and  "that  Jared  Starr 
George  D.  Avery  and  George  Colfax  be  a  Comtee 
to  build  said  house."  This  school  house  was  ac- 
cordingly built  about  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by 
the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Ralph  S.  Smith.  It  is  of  this 
school  house  that  Mr.  Stark  says,  "about  the  close 
of  this  period,"  that  is  the  period  beginning  with 
1774,  "the  third  brick  schoolhouse  for  the  grammar 
school  was  built  in  the  highway  at  the  head  of  State 
street,  directly  south  of  the  Court  House.  That 
building  was  the  'throne'  of  Doctor  Dow  for  more 
than  forty  years.  With  the  end  of  his  long  service, 
in  1834,  it  ceased  to  exist."  The  records  quoted 
above  fix  the  vear  in  which  this  school  house  was 
built  as  1794. 

Various   miscellaneous   items   in   the   history   of 
the  society  are  of  interest.      In  several  instances 


channing's  ministry.  229 

votes  like  the  following  were  passed :  "Voted 
that  Pew  No.  34  be  reserved  (and  not  sold) 
to  be  for  the  Use  and  Improvement  for  the 
year  ensuing  of  Sundry  Elderly  Widows  be- 
longing to  the  Society."  The  pews  rented  in  1788, 
one  year  after  Mr.  Channing's  coming,  for  £  165 — 
18,  which  was  an  advance  of  £22 — 2  over  the  year 
before.  They  rented,  in  the  subsequent  years  for 
various  sums,  the  largest  being  £242 — 14  in  1802. 
The  amount  of  their  rental  the  last  year,  1805,  was 
£235 — 5.  This  sum  gave  a  large  margin  over  Mr. 
Channing's  stipulated  salary  of  £  140  which  was 
paid  to  him  in  quarterly  payments  of  £35  each,  as 
appears  from  orders  on  the  society's  treasurer,  and 
his  receipts  which  are  on  file.  His  last  receipt  is  an 
example  of  them  all,  and  reads,  ''Received,  New 
London,  May  28,  1806,  of  Jacob  B.  Gurley  Esqr. 
Treasurer  of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  New 
London,  the  sum  of  Thirty  Five  pounds  Lawf. 
Money  in  full  of  my  salary  to  the  Seventeenth  of 
May  instant,  and  to  the  expiration  of  my  ministry 
on  The  Twenty-first  instant."  This  fixes  the  exact 
date  on  which  his  pastorate  came  to  a  close. 

The  question  of  music  in  the  services  of  the 
church  early  commanded  attention.  We  have  seen 
that  in  the  earlier  history  of  the  church  special  priv- 
ileges as  to  seats  in  church  were  granted  to  men 
for  ''pitching  the  psalms."  In  1797,  at  the  annual 
meeting  in  April  it  was  "voted  That  the  Loos  Con- 
tribution Collected  the  Courant  year  be  appropri- 
ated to  the  use  of  Encouragement  and  supporting 


230        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

of  Singing  in  the  Society.  To  be  Applyed  and  Dis- 
posed of  by  the  Committee  at  their  Discretion." 
Similar  votes  were  passed  in  the  two  following 
years.  There  are  also  various  receipts  relating  to 
the  same  matter,  which  show  that  the  old  fashioned 
singing  school  was  sustained  by  the  society.  For 
example,  one  bill  makes  the  society  debtor  to 
George  Harris  "To  one  Quarter's  Tuition  of  Sing- 
ing School  beginning  17th  of  July  and  ending  17th 
of  Oct,  as  per  agreement  with  the  Singing  Com- 
mittee. £3-5-0."  Other  receipts  show  that  James 
Beebe,  who  was  the  sexton,  received  extra  pay  for 
attending  the  singing  school,  at  the  rate  of  one 
shilling  and  three  pence  a  night.  George  Harris 
seems  to  have  taught  during  1797,  1798  and  1799. 
In  1800  John  Woodward  appears  to  have  been  the 
singing  master.  In  1802  an  order  on  the  treasury 
of  the  society  was  given  by  Guy  Richards,  one  of 
the  singing  committee,  to  Col.  Eliphalet  Bulkeley, 
for  "Forty  Dollars  (out  of  the  singing  funds)  being 
for  use  of  his  House  etc.,  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  Singing  School,  and  charge  the  same  to  the 
singing  accot."  In  1804  the  society  instructed  its 
committee  to  "agree  with  Asa  Dutton  to  teach  a 
Singing  School  in  this  Society  the  year  ensuing,  and 
that  the  Society  Committee  make  a  Collection  in 
the  usual  way  in  the  Meeting  House  once  in  each 
month  for  the  Support  of  Psalm  Singing."  A  sim- 
ilar vote  was  passed  at  the  annual  meeting  in  1805. 
In  October  of  the  same  year  a  meeting  was  warned, 
one  item  of  whose  business  was  "to  devise  some 


channing's  ministry.  231 

mode  for  the  improvement  of  Psalm  Singing  in 
Said  Society."  At  this  meeting  it  was  voted  to  in- 
struct the  committee  to  contract  with  a  suitable 
teacher  ''to  teach  psalm  Singing  in  this  Society  for 
one  year  next  ensuing." 

Later  on  one  Lyman  Peck  was  singing  master. 
To  this  office  he  seems  to  have  added  the  duties 
of  chorister.  Probably  the  other  singing  masters 
combined  the  two  offices.  In  1807  Majr.  J.  P.  Trott 
presented  a  bill  of  $78.98  for  "articles  furnished  and 
expenses  paid  *  *  *  on  account  of  singing  school." 
Among  the  items  are  ten  dollars  paid  to  ''Doctr. 
T.  H.  Rawson  for  20  nights  use  of  Mason  Hall  @ 
50  cts,"  and  "Cash  paid  Mr.  S.  Huntington  $43.62." 
These  singing  schools  of  the  early  days  raised 
a  generation  of  men  and  women  who  could  sing 
the  praises  of  God  in  the  sanctuary,  if  they  were 
not  musicians. 

The  contribution  box  was  passed  at  each  service 
till  1797  when  the  society  voted  to  discontinue  the 
practice.  But  it  was  further  "Voted  That  the  Con- 
tribution be  continued  for  the  Box  to  be  Carried 
Round  once  in  Each  Quarter."  Later  this  vote  was 
modified  to  read  once  each  month. 

Mr.  Channing  found  that  his  salary  was  not 
sufficient  for  the  needs  of  a  growing  family.  Ev- 
idently the  people  became  aware  of  the  financial 
difficulties  under  which  their  pastor  was  labor- 
ing. For  in  1796,  a  year  in  which  the  pews 
rented  for  over  £212,  a  subscription  was  made 
for    his    benefit,    which    read    as    follows :     "Wee 


232      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

the  subscribers  being  sensible  that  in  Consequence 
of  the  present  high  price  of  the  necessarys  of  Life, 
the  Revd.  Mr.  Channing's  Salary  is  inadequate  to 
his  Family  Expenditures.  And  feeling  ourselves 
under  an  Equitable  Obligation  to  make  him  some 
Compensation  on  account  thereof,  Do  hereby  en- 
gage to  pay  into  the  hands  of  Capt.  Richd  Doug- 
lass on  Demand  for  said  purpose  the  sums  by  us 
severally  subscribed.  New  London  22d  Jany 
1796."  Then  follow  subscriptions  to  the  amount 
of  $185,  which  were  paid  over  to  him  as  his  receipt 
shows.  The  following  year,  January  21,  1797,  he 
addressed  a  formal  letter  to  the  society  upon  the 
inadequacy  of  his  salary.  An  extraordinary  defi- 
ciency in  the  pastor's  annual  stipend  had  arisen 
which  the  society  were  to  consider  at  a  special  meet- 
ing on  the  twenty-third  of  the  same  month.  In 
the  letter  he  laid  the  case  before  the  society  and 
practically  asked  that  his  salary  be  increased.  The 
letter  was  as  follows : 

To  the  committee  of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  New 

London. 
Gentlemen: 

I  had,  though  reluctantly,  determined  to  address  the  society 
at  their  annual  meeting  in  April  next,  both,  upon  the  absolute 
deficiency  of  my  permanent  salary,  and  that  which  has  arisen 
from  the  late  increased  prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life. 

Being  informed  that  you  have  notified  a  meeting  of  this  so- 
ciety to  be  held  at  their  church,  on  Monday  the  23d  Inst., 
for  the  purpose  of  considering,  on  the  principles  of  equity, 
respecting  a  compensation  for  the  extraordinary  deficiency  in 
my  Salary  which  has  lately  arisen,    I  now  deem  it  unnecessary 


channing's  ministry.  233 

for  me  to  make  any  observations  upon  that  subject.  I  must 
however,  take  opportunity  to  state  to  you,  for  the  information 
of  the  Society,  that  my  Salary  since  my  settlement,  excepting 
in  one  year,  has  fallen  short  of  the  necessary  expenditures 
for  the  support  of  my  family;  and,  that  this  deficiency  was 
very  considerable  before  the  late  enhanced  price  of  provisions. 

Permit  me,  Gentlemen,  to  observe,  this  cannot  afford  a  very 
pleasing  prospect  to  a  man  in  early  life,  who  ought  to  feel  as 
a  man,  for  his  young  family,  and  who  ought  to  regard  the 
declaration  of  an  Apostle,  1  Timothy  5:  8.  "But  if  any  pro- 
vide not  for  his  own,  and  specially  for  those  of  his  own 
house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel." 

Many  of  this  parish  know  so  well  the  expenses  of  a  fam- 
ily, that  I  need  not  inform  them,  if  my  own  property  had 
not  supplied  the  annual  deficiency  of  the  Salary,  I  should  at 
this  time  be  an  insolvent  debtor.  But  while  in  the  prime  of 
life,  I  thus  draw  from  the  resources  of  my  family  to  meet 
their  exigencies,  am  I  not  acting  the  part  of  a  dishonest  man; 
am  I  not  doing  injustice  to  myself  and  my  family?  As  a  Min- 
ister, am  I  under  an  obligation  to  devote  a  larger  proportion 
of  my  own  interest  to  the  support  of  the  Ministry  here,  than 
any  other  friend  to  religion  and  to  the  Society?  I  frankly 
acknowledge,  I  neither  know  nor  feel  such  an  obligation. 

In  bringing  this  subject  before  the  Society,  I  do  not  wish 
to  avail  myself  of  that  partiality  for  me  as  their  Minister, 
of  which  I  have  ever  received  unequivocal  proofs  from  the 
individuals  who  compose  it.  I  am  indeed  happy  in  sincerely 
reciprocating  the  assurance  of  my  attachment,  and  of  my 
solicitude  for  the  peace  and  welfare  of  the  Congregation.  To 
these  considerations  I  have  already  made  great  sacrifices; 
but  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect  or  require  that  I 
should  continue  to  make  them. 

Suffer  me  now  to  request  that,  in  considering  this  subject, 
it  may  be  discussed  upon  general  principles,  independent  of 
personal  considerations:  As  I  should  be  pained  to  be  under- 
stood as  wishing  to  cast  myself  upon  the  friendship  of  others 
for  a  support,  at  this  period  of  my  life.     If  the  services  of  a 


234      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH 

Minister  do  not  merit  an  ample  support,  certainly  the  So- 
ciety ought  not  to  grant  it.  I  have  therefore  only  to  request, 
that  they  would  take  into  consideration  the  statement  which 
I  have  now  made,  and,  as  soon  as  may  be,  communicate  to 
me  their  determination. 

I  cannot  close  this  letter  without  adding  that  my  constitu- 
tion has  been,  for  several  years,  so  much  injured  by  a  stud- 
ious and  sedentary  life,  that,  had  I  not  enjoyed  better  health 
the  present  winter,  I  should  not  have  called  the  attention 
of  the  Society  to  the  present  subject;  but,  considering  the 
claims  of  my  health  of  more  importance,  should  have  urged 
the  necessity  of  dissolving  our  connection. 

I  am  Gentlemen, 
With  Every  Sentiment 
of  Respect  and  Affection 

Yours  Sincerely 
HENRY  CHANNING. 
New  London  Jany  21,  1797. 

This  letter  was  laid  before  the  special  meeting  of 
the  society  January  twenty-third.  At  that  meeting 
it  was  "voted  that  this  society  grant  to  the  Revd 
Mister  Channing  Sixty  Pounds  (to  be  paid  out  of 
The  Society  Treasury  as  soon  as  the  Treasurer  shall 
Be  in  Cash  to  that  amount)  in  Consideration  of 
The  advanced  price  of  the  Necessarys  of  Life — Vo- 
ted That  the  Consideration  of  the  Revd.  Mr.  Henry 
Channing's  Letter  (this  day  laid  before  the  meet- 
ing) be  postponed  to  the  Annual  Meeting  in  April 
next,  and  that  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  So- 
ciety be  Requested  to  confer  with  him  in  the  mean 
time,  on  the  Subject  matter  of  his  letter,  and  Report 
to  Said  Annual  Meeting." 

This  action  was  practically  an  acknowledgment  on 


channing's  ministry.  235 

the  part  of  the  parish  that  the  salary  paid  the  pastor 
was  not  adequate  to  the  increased  expense  of  Hving. 
But  it  was  not  an  answer,  as  Mr.  Channing  at  a 
later  date  observed,  to  the  request  for  an  increase  of 
salary  made  in  his  letter  of  January  twenty-first. 
In  fact  his  request  was  not  acted  upon  at  all,  nor 
was  the  subject  of  it  discussed  at  that  or  any  sub- 
sequent meeting.  It  did  not  receive  the  attention 
it  deserved.  If  the  society  were  paying  as  large  a 
salary  as  they  were  able  to  pay  they  should  have 
so  stated  in  a  definite  and  courteous  reply  to  the 
pastor's  request. 

The  committee  conferred  with  Mr.  Channing  as 
directed  by  vote  of  the  society.  In  the  call  for  the 
annual  meeting  to  be  held  April  17,  1797,  was  this 
item  of  business,  "to  take  Into  Consideration  the 
Expediency  of  Raising  the  Reverend  Mr.  Chan- 
ning's  Sallery."  It  was  "Voted  That  the  further 
Consideration  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Channing's 
Letter  to  the  Society,  and  the  General  Subject  of 
augmenting  his  Sallery,  be  continued  to  the  An- 
nual Meeting  in  April  1798."  At  that  meeting  no 
action  was  taken  upon  Mr.  Channing's  request, 
made  in  his  letter  of  the  year  before.  But  in  view 
"of  the  advanced  price  of  the  Necessaries  of  Life," 
the  Treasurer  was  instructed  to  pay  him  £50,  as 
soon  as  he  should  have  cash  to  that  amount.  In 
1799,  at  the  society's  annual  meeting,  a  motion  was 
made  to  make  another  extra  grant  to  the  pastor,  as 
had  been  done  the  previous  years.  But  as  consid- 
erable  repairs   were   needed   upon   the   parsonage, 


236      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

which,  in  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  would  "ab- 
sorb all  the  funds  that  would  be  in  the  treasury  at 
the  close  of  the  year,"  the  motion  was  withdrawn. 
The  matter  does  not  appear  to  have  come  up  again 
till  October  1805.  Dr.  McEwen  says  that  it  was 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  society  by  the  pas- 
tor himself,  on  account  of  the  attitude  which  he 
took,  while  acting  as  moderator  of  a  council,  at 
Mansfield,  called  that  month  to  dismiss  the  Rev. 
John  Sherman,  who  had  become  a  Unitarian.  Mr. 
Channing  espoused  his  cause  so  openly  and  strong- 
ly as  to  call  forth  the  censure  of  the  council.  Dr. 
McEwen  says  that  Mr.  Channing,  to  test  the  ques- 
tion in  his  own  church,  asked  the  society  to  increase 
his  salary,  or  unite  with  him  in  calling  a  council  to 
dismiss  him.  The  request  for  dismission  was  not 
made  till  March  1806.  But  the  request  for  an  in- 
crease of  salary  was  renewed  in  September,  1805, 
and  may  have  been  repeated  in  October,  soon  after 
the  council  in  Mansfield;  though  there  is  nothing 
but  Dr.  McEwen's  statement  to  show  that  it  was 
repeated.  As  he  came  on  the  ground  in  1806,  he 
was  not  likely  to  be  in  error  about  the  matter.  Oc- 
tober 14,  1805,  at  a  special  adjourned  meeting  of 
the  society,  evidently  held  in  response  to  the  request 
which  had  been  renewed  in  September,  and  at  which 
the  expediency  of  increasing  Mr.  Channing's  sal- 
ary was  one  of  the  items  of  business  to  be  con- 
sidered, it  was  voted  "that  the  subject  of  further  al- 
lowance to  the  Revd.  Mr.  Channing  as  a  compensa- 
tion for  his  services  be  postponed  to  our  annual. 


channing's  ministry.  237 

meeting  in  April  next,  [1806]  and  in  the  mean 
time  that  our  committee  be  requested  to  confer  with 
Mr.  Channing  on  the  subject  and  make  report 
thereof."  Evidently  the  committee  did  not  confer 
with  Mr.  Channing  except  through  the  medium  of 
the  following  letter,  written  in  October,  1805  : 

Revd.  Sir. 

Your  Letter  bearing  date  the  21st  of  Jany  1797,  addressed 
to  the  Comtee  of  the  first  ecclesiastical  society  in  this  Town 
(relative  to  the  scantiness  of  your  salary  to  meet  the  annual 
necessary  expenditures  for  the  support  of  your  family)  was 
duly  received  and  laid  before  the  then  next  society  meeting, 
holden  on  23d  Day  of  Jany  1797,  at  which  meeting  the  Society 
Voted  the  sum  of  £60,  to  be  paid  to  you  out  of  the  Society 
Treasury,  on  account  of  the  advanced  price  of  the  necessaries 
of  Life  and  at  their  annual  meeting  on  the  7th  Day  of  April 
1798  [the  meeting  was  warned  April  7,  but  held  April  16,  ac- 
cording to  the  Parish  Records]  the  meeting  voted  you  a  fur- 
ther Sum  of  £50  to  be  paid,  as  aforesaid  in  consideration  of 
the  advanced  price  of  the  necessaries  of  Life,  both  which 
sums  we  presume  you  received. 

At  the  annual  meeting  the  year  following,  viz.  on  the  15th 
Day  of  April,  1799,  there  was  a  motion  made  to  make  you 
another  Grant,  but  it  being  observed  by  the  Comtee  that  the 
Parsonage  house  wanted  considerable  repairs,  and  that  the 
necessary  repairs  would  likely  absorb  all  the  funds  that  would 
be  in  the  Treasury  at  the  Close  of  the  year,  the  motion  was 
withdrawn,  and  the  funds  of  the  Society  were  accordingly 
appropriated  and  expended  in  repairing  the  Parsonage  house. 
Since  that  time  to  the  present  year  the  surplus  funds  of  the 
society  over  paying  the  regular  annual  expenses  of  the  Society, 
have  been  expended  in  repairs  on  and  about  the  Meeting 
house.  Lately  a  society  meeting  was  notified,  to  be  holden 
on  the  first  Monday  of  Octor  Instant,  and  among  other  things 
to   take   into   Consideration   the   expediency   of   ading  to   Mr. 


238        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Channing's  salary.  The  meeting  being  very  thin  (on  account 
of  the  City  Court  sitting  on  the  same  day)  thought  it  im- 
proper to  act  on  the  business  relative  to  Mr.  Channing,  and 
adjourned  for  further  consideration  of  the  question  to  Mon- 
day the  14th  Day  of  Octor  Instant,  When  the  meeting  again 
convened,  and  the  business  relative  to  ading  to  Mr.  Chan- 
ning's  salary,  or  making  him  another  grant,  was  taken  up, 
it  appeared  by  a  statemt  from  the  society  Treasr  that  there 
was  not  any  money  in  the  Treasury  at  this  time,  but  there 
probably  would  be  at  the  close  of  the  year  ending  in  April 
next  (over  paying  the  regular  Demands  against  the  society) 
about  £50.  There  was  considerable  said  in  the  meeting  on  the 
reasonableness  of  a  further  Grant  to  Mr.  Channing,  but  this 
meeting  being  also  thin,  and  there  being  no  money  at  present 
in  the  Treasury,  it  was  thought  most  expedient  to  adjourn 
the  further  consideration  of  the  business  untill  the  annual  so- 
ciety meeting  in  April  next,  and  the  society  Comtee  were 
requested  in  the  mean  time  to  confer  with  Mr.  Channing  on 
the  subject,  and  make  report  to  the  next  meeting.  [April 
1806]  The  Comtee  will  wait  on  Mr.  Channing  for  the  purpose 
aforesaid,  whenever  it  will  be  agreeable  to  him.  We  are 
with  sincear  respect  and  esteem 

Yr  affectionate  friends 

GUY  RICHARDS 
GEORGE  COLFAX 
EDWD    CHAPPELL 
Society  Comtee 

For  some  reason,  the  foregoing  letter  was  not 
delivered  to  Mr.  Channing  until  the  evening  of 
March  3,  1806.  Mr.  Channing's  salary  was  never 
increased.  Various  reasons  suggest  themselves, 
why  the  request  of  his  letter  of  January  21,  1797, 
was  never  compUed  with.  One  may  have  been  that, 
while  the  amount  of  pew-rentals  was  sufficient,  yet 


CHANNING'S  MINISTRY.  239 

very  considerable  abatements  were  frequently  made 
in  the  case  of  persons  unable  to  pay.  Besides,  con- 
siderable repairs  on  the  parsonage  and  on  the  meet- 
ing-house at  various  times  consumed  the  money  ac- 
tually in  the  hands  of  the  society  with  which  to  in- 
crease the  pastor's  salary.  But  probably  a  more 
serious  reason  was,  a  growing  dissatisfaction  with 
the  views  which  Mr.  Channing  had  adopted  and 
advocated — a  feeling  which  was  brought  to  a  crisis, 
as  we  have  seen,  by  his  pronounced  course  at  the 
council  in  Mansfield.  But  whatever  the  reason  for 
not  complying  with  his  request,  silence  was  not  its 
proper  answer ;  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
grants  made  to  him  in  addition  to  his  regular  sal- 
ary were  an  acknowledgment  that  it  was  too  small. 
His  letter  to  the  society  of  January  21,  1797,  de- 
manded a  definite  response  which  it  never  received. 
The  matter  was  put  over  from  year  to  year,  and 
never  definitely  answered,  except  by  silence.  He 
had  reason  to  feel  aggrieved.  This  is  the  nearest 
approach  to  uncivil  treatment  of  a  pastor  which  can 
be  found  in  the  history  of  the  church.  That  it  was 
not  so  intended  we  have  reason  to  believe.  For,  as 
somewhat  relieving  the  course  which  the  society 
pursued,  it  is  to  be  said  not  only  that  generous 
grants  were  made  to  him  during  his  ministry  but 
also  that,  after  his  dismissal,  a  subscription  was 
made,  and  a  generous  sum  was  presented  to  him 
by  leading  men  in  the  society.  The  paper  reads  as 
follows : 


240      LATER  HISTORY   OP   THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

New  London  Society- 
June  1806. 

Whereas  this  Society  did  in  the  year  1797  make  an  extra- 
ordinary grant  to  the  revd  Mr.  Channing  of  Sixty  pounds  on 
account  of  the  enhanced  price  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  and 
in  the  following  year  did  grant  fifty  pounds  for  the  same  con- 
sideration; since  which  no  similar  grant  has  been  made,  al- 
though the  reason  for  the  same  has  continued  much  the 
same — 

In  order  in  some  measure  to  indemnify  the  revd  Mr.  Chan- 
ning for  the  deficiency  of  his  salary,  we  the  Subscribers  prom- 
ise to  pay  the  sums  to  our  names  annexed  to  the  Treasurer 
of  the  Society,  to  be  by  him  paid  over  to  Mr.  Channing;  and 
the  Treasurer  is  requested  to  place  this  subscription  on  the 
records  of  the  Society. 

To  this  are  appended  eight  subscriptions,  one  of 
one  hundred  dollars  by  Elias  Perkins,  one  of  eighty 
dollars  by  Jedediah  Huntington,  one  of  thirty-five 
dollars  by  Guy  Richards,  one  of  thirty  dollars  by 
Nat.  Richards,  and  four  of  twenty  dollars  each  by 
Edward  Chappell,  Samuel  Green,  David  Douglas 
and  James  Lee ;  the  whole  amounting  to  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  dollars.  Mr.  Channing's  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  receipt  of  the  money,  so 
subscribed,  from  Jacob  B.  Gurley,  the  Society's 
Treasurer,  is  on  the  back  of  the  subscription  paper, 
and  is  dated  New  London  April  i,  1807 — nearly  a 
year  after  his  dismission.  This  was  the  end  of  an 
unpleasant  matter  which  had  been  suffered  to  drag 
its  weary  length  along  for  nearly  ten  years.  It 
was  a  just,  as  well  as  generous  act  on  the  part  of 
the  foremost  men  in  the  society  and  in  the  town, 


channing's  ministry.  241 

and  proved  that,  however  they  might  dissent  from 
his  views,  they  highly  esteemed  the  man  for  his  per- 
sonal worth. 

The  narrative  which  relates  to  the  ending  of  his 
pastorate,  with  the  steps  leading  to  it,  belongs  to  the 
chapter  which  concerns  his  relation  to  the  church. 


IX. 

THE   MINISTRY   OF   HKNRY   CHANNING; 
HIS  RECORD  OF  HEAI^TH. 


An  interesting  book  kept  by  Mr.  Channing  dur- 
ing his  entire  pastorate  is  still  in  existence.  Its  title 
is : — 

"The  Annual  Bills  of  Mortality 

In  the  City  of  New  London, 

From  the  year  1787; 

Belonging  to  the  Ministers  of  the 

First  Church,  and 

Recorded  by  them." 

The  records  begin  May  17,  1787,  the  day  of  his 
ordination.  On  the  fly-leaf  of  the  book  is  this  rec- 
ord. "The  number  of  Inhabitants  within  the  City 
of  New  London ;  extracted  from  the  schedule  of  the 
Marshal  of  the  District.  The  numeration  of  the 
Inhabitants  being  made  by  act  of  Congress  Jany 
28th,  1791.  Males  1177;  Females  1288;  Total 
^465.  Of  the  above  138  were  blacks,  of  which  95 
are  slaves."  This  was  the  first  census  of  the  United 
States.  Connecticut  was  the  eighth  state  in  the 
Union  in  point  of  population,  and  had  237,946  in- 
habitants. Virginia  headed  the  list  with  a  popula- 
tion of  747,610. 


channing's  ministry.  243 

On  the  same  fly-leaf  Mr.  Channing  also  made 
this  record ;  "The  number  of  inhabitants  within  the 
City  of  New  London  according  to  the  census  A.  D. 
1801.  Males  and  Females  2931  Increase  466  since 
the  last  census."  Again  Connecticut  stood  eighth 
on  the  list  with  a  population  of  251,002 ;  an  increase 
over  the  last  census  of  13,056,  or  a  little  less  than 
six  per  cent.  It  will  be  seen  that  New  London 
gained  in  population  more  than  three  times  as  rap- 
idly as  the  state,  the  gain  being  almost  exactly  nine- 
teen per  cent. 

The  year  1798  was  the  year  of  greatest  mortality, 
when  the  number  of  deaths  reached  one  hundred 
and  eleven,  or  about  one  in  every  twenty-six  and 
a  half  of  the  whole  population.  The  death  rate  was 
so  large  as  to  attract  wide  attention.  An  epidemic 
known  as  the  Yellow  Fever  broke  out  and  prevailed 
with  considerable  malignity  and  great  fatality,  in 
certain  quarters  of  the  city  during  the  months  of 
August,  September  and  October.  Mr.  Channing's 
account  gives  the  details  of  the  scourge.  It  is  as 
follows : 

"Posterity  will  notice  the  Bill  of  Mortality  from 
Jany  1798  to  Jany  1799,  is  unusually  large  for  this 
city.  The  increase  arose  from  a  fatal  pestilential 
fever,  commonly  called  the  Yellow  Fever,  which  ap- 
peared in  the  part  of  the  city  a  few  rods  south  of 
the  Market,  where  the  first  death  occurred  with  this 
disease  Aug.  26th  1798;  the  last  death  was  Octo- 
ber 25th,  when  the  disease  disappeared.  It  pre- 
vailed principally  in  the  space  of  about  30  rods 


244      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

North  and  South  of  Capt.  Bingham's  tavern,  about 
20  rods  south  of  Market,  who  was  the  first  person 
that  died."  The  disease  was  most  violent  in  the 
northern  part  of  Bank  street,  where  it  broke  out. 
Mr.  Bingham,  the  first  victim,  kept  the  Union  Cof- 
fee House.  He  died  and  was  buried  on  Sunday. 
In  about  eight  weeks  two  hundred  and  forty-six"^ 
were  attacked  by  the  disease  of  whom  about  ninety 
died. 

Further  particulars  were  given  in  "an  account  of 
the  Pestilential  disease  which  prevailed  at  New 
London  (Connecticut)  in  the  Summer  and  Autumn 
of  1798  communicated  in  a  letter  from  the  Rev. 
Henry  Channing  to  Doctor  Mitchell  in  New  York." 
The  letter  is  as  follows : 

New  London,  Jany  17,  1799 
Sir: 

Your  request  that  I  would  make  such  communications  to 
you  respecting  the  late  pestilential  disorder  in  this  City,  as 
might  aid  your  researches  into  its  origin,  etc.  in  the  United 
States,  was  communicated  by  Mr.  Stewart  in  his  letter  of 
Deer  19th.  I  have  been  prevented  by  the  severity  of  the  sea- 
son, and  many  avocations  paying  an  earlier  attention  to  your 
wishes. 

I  continued  in  the  city  during  the  prevalence  of  the  dis- 
order; yet,  not  depending  entirely  on  my  own  observation  dur- 
ing that  period,  I  thought  it  advisable  to  consult  with  gentle- 
men who  had  more  extended  means  of  information  than  my- 
self. I  accordingly  requested  Dr.  Coit,  Dr.  James  Lee,  Mr. 
John  Woodward  and  Mr.   Ebenezer  Holt,  junr.  two  members 


*Miss  Caulkins  gives  the  number  as  350,  but  Mr.  Channing,  who  was  on 
the  ground,  gives  this  as  the  number.  The  population  at  the  time  was  about 
2500.    Nearly  one  in  ten  were  victims  of  the  epidemic. 


channing's  ministry.  245 

of  our  worthy  and  indefatigable  committee  of  health  to  meet, 
and  conferred  with  them  upon  the  subject. 

We  ascertained,  with  a  precision  to  be  relied  on,  that  the 
whole  number  of  persons  whose  complaints  were  strongly 
marked,  and  clearly  indicated  the  pestilential,  or,  as  it  is 
called,  the  Yellow  Fever,  did  not  exceed  246:  and  I  give  it 
you  as  a  very  important  fact,  on  which  you  may  rely,  that, 
of  the  above  number,  231  cases  were  clearly  traced  to  the 
spot  where  the  sickness  commenced,  that  is,  the  patients 
were  conversant,  or  had  been  in  that  part  of  the  city  a  few 
days  before  they  were  seized.  The  part  in  which  the  Septic 
Gas  appears  to  have  been  so  highly  concentrated,  extended 
sixty  rods  north  and  south,  about  thirty  rods  each  way  from 
the  house  first  affected,  and  about  twenty  rods  west,  being 
bounded  easterly  on  the  harbour. 

As  we  have  not  even  a  shadow  of  ground  to  suppose  the 
disorder  was  not  of  domestic  origin,  we  are  urged  critically 
to  investigate  the  cause  within  ourselves.  I  confess  that  at 
the  time  when  my  fellow-citizens  began  to  take  the  alarm, 
I  could  not  admit  the  idea,  that  a  pestilential  disorder  could 
originate  and  progress  in  a  place  so  happily  situated  as  this; 
for  added  to  an  elevated  situation,  with  scarcely  any  low 
lands  to  generate  marsh-miasma,  we  have  a  deep,  spacious 
harbour,  near  the  sea,  from  which  we  are  favored  with  re- 
freshing sea-breezes  through  the  summer.  And  indeed,  as 
might  be  expected,  this  city  has  ever  been  famed  for  the 
purity  of  its  air  and  health  of  its  inhabitants.  But  I  have  been 
constrained  to  admit,  that,  under  the  influence  of  summer 
heats,  exceeding  in  intenseness  and  duration,  what  has  ever 
been  experienced  by  the  oldest  inhabitants,  some  latent  cause 
has  been  brought  into  action  and  generated  a  disorder  new 
and  truly  alarming. 

As  almost  all  the  cases  which  occurred  are  clearly  traced 
to  a  communication  within  the  above  mentioned  limits,  and  as 
scarcely  a  single  person  escaped  the  disorder  who  resided 
in   that  part  of  the   city,   there  alone  must  we   look  for  the 


246       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

cause  which,  under  the  providence  of  the  Almighty  God,  pro- 
duced this  dreadful  scourge. 

It  appears  that  there  was  a  large  quantity  of  dried  fish 
in  a  bad  state,  in  four  or  five  stores,  within  twenty  or  thirty 
rods  of  each  other,  and  all  in  the  limits  referred  to.  These 
fish  were  taken  in  the  Straits  of  Bellisle,  which  being  a  high 
northern  latitude,  they  were  cured  with  a  much  less  quantity 
of  salt  than  usual.  They  were  brought  to  this  port  in  the 
autumn  of  1797.  The  heat  of  the  summer  in  1798,  having  been 
very  great,  many  of  these  fish  were  found  to  be  in  a  moist, 
slimy  state  early  in  August  last.  From  a  quantity  lying  in 
bulk,  in  a  store  occupied  by  Mr.  Jones  (who  fell  a  victim  to 
the  epidemic)  a  quantity  of  green  and  yellow  purulent  mat- 
ter ran  upon  the  floor.  It  was  thought  by  the  owners,  that 
if  they  were  spread  in  the  sun,  in  the  open  air,  the  fish 
might  be  preserved,  which  was  done,  extending  them  a  con- 
siderable distance  in  the  streets  and  wharves.  While  thus 
exposed  to  the  excessive  heat  of  the  sun,  with  light  winds, 
the  effluvia  in  the  neighborhood  were  very  offensive,  as  I 
have  been  informed  by  many  gentlemen  who  passed  in  that 
street  at  the  time.  It  was  also  noticed,  at  other  times,  that 
people  were  assailed  with  a  very  nauseous  stench  in  passing 
through  that  part  of  the  city.  Whether  this  proceeded  from 
the  fish,  or  a  quantity  of  whale-oil  which  was  in  the  same 
store,  or  from  the  overflowing  vault  of  an  old  privy,  which 
belonged  to  the  family  first  attacked,  and  was  very  offensive, 
I  can  not  ascertain. 

It  is  to  be  particularly  noticed,  that  the  heat  of  the  last 
summer  exceeded  both  in  intensity  and  duration,  what  has 
been  known  within  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitants. 
This  excessive  heat  was  attended  with  an  unusually  dry  at- 
mosphere, no  thunder  showers,  light  winds,  and  calms  in  the 
day,  and  calm  nights,  for  five  or  six  weeks  successively, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  nights.  As  the  degree  of  heat, 
with  the  prevailing  state  of  the  air,  may  be  considered  as  im- 
portant, in  the  course  of  your  investigation,  I  shall  subjoin 
my  observations,  taken  from  Farenheit's  Thermometer,  placed 


channing's  ministry.  247 

in  the  open  air,  at  the  north  end  of  the  house,  about  eight 
feet  from  the  ground.  These  observations  were  continued  to 
Aug.  28th,  when  Mrs.  Channing's  illness  having  become  very- 
distressing,  and  closing  in  her  death,  Sept.  6th,  I  was  pre- 
vented attending  further  to  the   subject. 

Before  I  close  my  letter,  I  would  mention  a  particular  case, 
which  may  be  considered  as  very  clearly  pointing  to  the  fish, 
as  a  principal,  if  not  the  only  cause  of  this  distressing  epi- 
demic. A  captain  of  a  coasting  vessel,  belonging  to  this 
place,  took  in  about  twenty  quintals  of  fish  from  three  of  the 
stores,  on  the  21st  or  22d  of  August,  and  sailed  for  Hart- 
ford. He  had  them  packed  in  hogsheads  there,  and  delivered, 
on  the  3d  September,  on  board  a  boat  bound  to  a  town  in  Ver- 
mont. The  fish  were  very  soft  and  moist,  and  were  very  dis- 
agreeable while  on  board  the  vessel.  On  the  8th  of  Septr  in 
the  night,  he  was  taken  ill,  and  reached  home  on  the  9th,  and 
his  illness  proved  a  serious  attack  of  our  pestilential  fever. 

I  have  thus  endeavored  to  give  you,  in  detail,  all  the  facts 
of  which  I  am  possessed,  which  may  cast  some  light  upon  the 
very  important  subject  of  your  researches.  May  heaven  pros- 
per your  exertions,  direct  as  to  the  means  of  safety,  and  de- 
liver us  from  this  pestilence  which  has  hitherto  walked  in 
darkness. 

I  am,  Sir 

Yr  Obedt  Servt 
HENRY  CHANNING. 

The  observations  referred  to  in  the  foregoing  let- 
ter are  as  follows : 

Mbteoeological  Obseevations,  from  Farenheit's  Theb- 
mometer5  in  the  open  aie,  noeth  shade. 

New  London,  1798. 

July  25th  at  Merid  92°     1   P.  M.  95°    3  P.  M.  88° 

"   29th  "      "      89 
Augt  3,  4,  5,  6  and  7th  no  observations;  only  intense  heat. 
Augt  8  M.  89° 


248      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

Augt  9    10  A.  M.  90°    M.  93°,     3  P.  M.  97°,    5  P.  M.  93° 
"10  90°     "    92°,     2  P.  M.  94°,     3  P.  M.  92° 

Remark.     Upon  removing  the   Thermometer    within    the 
chamber  the  mercury  descended  from  92°  to  89°,  in  fifteen  min- 
utes and  continued  descending. 
Augt  11  at  10  A.  M.  90°,     M.  87«^    3  P.  M.  87°. 

Remark.     The  heat  has  been  intense  for  a  fortnight  past,  and 
has  been  attended  with  very  dry  weather  upon  this  part  of  the 
coast;  only  one  thunder  storm  having  occurred  in  the  time. 
Augt  12th  at  10  A.  M.  86°,     Merid  89°,     3  P.  M.  89° 


13th 

85°, 

92°, 

87° 

nth  and  15th  heat  not  so 

intense.     In  forenoon  89° 

15th  showers 

1  without  thunder. 

16th  at  10  A. 

M.  86° 

Merid  87°, 

3  P.  M.  86° 

17      •*    " 

♦•    85 

(( 

91 

87 

18 

85 

i( 

87 

88 

19 

"    80 

( ( 

86 

89 

20 

t  ( 

82 

21 

(( 

87 

22 

(( 

87 

84 

23 

( i 

82 

24 

li 

78 

25 

t  c 

88 

26 

*'    87 

<( 

92 

2  P.  M.  94 

27 

•'    80 

<  < 

82 

3  P.  M.  87 

28 

« 

82 

Mr.  Channing  wrote  a  second  letter  to  Doctor 
Mitchell  of  New  York,  which  reads  as  follows : 

New  London  Feby  19th,  1799.- 
Sir, 

I  wrote  you  the  17th  of  January  last,  and  stated  such  facts 
as  I  conceived  important  In  assisting  your  investigation  of 
the  causes  of  our  late  epidemic.  I  then  mentioned  that  a  very 
nauseous  effluvium  was  frequently  noticed  in  that  part  of  this 
city  where  the  epidemic  began  and  prevailed.  When  I  wrote, 
I  could  not  ascertain,  as  was  observed  in  my  letter,  whether 


channing's  ministry.  249 

this  effluvium  proceeded  from  the  putrid  fish,  whale  oil,  or 
the  overflowing  vault  of  an  old  privy  belonging  to  the  house 
where  the  first  patient  died.  Since  writing,  I  have  more 
carefully  examined  the  premises,  and  am  satisfied  that  the 
stench  proceeded  from  the  privy.  It  was  placed  upon  the 
side  of  a  hill;  on  one  side  the  vault  was  stoned  eight  feet 
above  ground,  on  another  side  five  feet,  on  the  other  sides 
the  walls  were  enclosed  by  the  earth.  From  the  two  sides 
which  were  above  the  surface  of  the  Earth,  the  filth  oozed 
out  constantly  and  was  noticed  by  those  who  went  near  it 
to  be  very  offensive  during  the  calm  weather,  with  drought 
and  intense  heat  in  August.  This  was,  doubtless,  one  of  the 
causes  which  rendered  the  air,  in  that  part  of  the  city,  unfit 
for  respiration.  Yet  I  still  think  the  putrid  fish,  in  a  store 
within  one  rod  of  the  privy,  and  in  other  stores  within  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  rods  of  it,  were  the  most  powerful  causes  in 
producing  the  deleterious  effects  which  were  experienced. 
In  addition  to  what  I  have  before  communicated,  I  would  give 
one  or  two  facts,  corroborating  the  idea  that  the  fish  was 
a  principal  cause.  Mr.  Williams  of  Stonington,  who  has  been, 
for  many  years,  acquainted  with  the  state  of  fish  in  different 
stages  of  curing,  passed  through  the  street  in  August,  when 
a  quantity  of  the  fish,  in  the  state  before  mentioned,  was 
spread,  to  be  dried,  in  the  open  air:  he  remarked  a  very  dis- 
agreeable effluvium,  evidently  proceeding  from  the  fish,  but 
very  different  from  what  he  had  ever  observed  to  proceed 
from  fish  before.  His  health  soon  failed,  and,  for  four  weeks 
he  felt  unusually  affected,  and  was  persuaded  his  complaint 
proceeded  from  the  smell  of  the  fish.  A  gentleman  of  this  city, 
one  of  the  medical  profession,  attending  an  auction  where  the 
fish  were  spread  in  the  open  air,  was  seized  with  nausea  from 
the  smell  of  the  fish  and  was  obliged  to  leave  the  spot. 

Assuredly,  sir,  my  exalted  opinion  of  this  city,  as  the  seat 
of  health,  gave  every  advantage  to  the  opinion  of  foreign  or- 
igin, as  the  source  of  our  late  epidemic.  But,  looking  in 
vain  for  corresponding  facts,  I  am  constrained  to  yield  to  op- 
posing evidence.     However,   I   am   fully  convinced,   that,   had 


250        LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

not  last  summer  exceeded,  what  had  ever  been  known  before, 

in  long-continued  and  intense  heat,  with  no  thunder  or  rain, 

and  light  winds  and  calms,  neither  the  fish  in  its  bad  state, 

nor   any   other   subordinate   cause    would   have   produced   our 

epidemic. 

I  am  etc. 

H.  CHANNING. 

Besides  the  foregoing  letters,  was  another,  writ- 
ten by  Thomas  Coit  M.  D.,  one  of  the  physicians 
in  town,  to  Dr.  Mitchell  of  New  York.  It  was  da- 
ted January  ii,  1799.  From  it  is  taken  the  follow- 
ing extract : 

Capt.  Elijah  Bingham,  inn-keeper,  living  in  Bank  street, 
which  is  a  street  next  to  the  water,  on  which  stand  several 
stores  near  said  house,  and  in  the  most  populous  part  of  the 
city,  on  the  26th  of  Augt  last,  died,  after  four  days  sickness. 
The  symptoms  were  such  as  gave  the  alarm  of  yellow  fever. 
A  few  days  after  his  death,  his  wife,  son  and  daughter,  were 
seized,  with  symptoms  of  yellow  fever,  and  died. 

The  day  on  which  Capt.  Bingham  died,  I  was  called  to  visit 
two  patients,  who  lived  directly  opposite,  in  the  same  street. 
Within  four  or  five  days  after,  I  was  called  to  nine  other 
patients  in  the  same  street,  not  more  than  eight  rods  from 
said  Bingham's,  all  of  the  same  fever,  some  of  them  violently 
seized.  None  of  these  died.  In  other  houses,  not  more  than 
ten  rods  south  of  said  Bingham's  eight  died.  About  thirty 
rods  north  of  said  house  about  the  same  number  died. 

By  this  time  the  disease  had  spread  into  various  parts  of  the 
town,  which  occasioned  the  removal  of  two  thirds  of  the  in- 
habitants. We  could  not  find  any  sick  of  the  fever,  (a  few 
cases  excepted)  but  those  who  had  been  either  in  Bingham's 
house,  or  frequented  the  spot  from  whence  we  considered  the 
infection  originated,  which,  from  our  best  observation,  we 
have  fixed  thirty  rods  north  and  south  of  Bingham's  house. 

We  will   now   enquire   what,   within   that   space,    could  pro- 


channing's  ministry.  251 

duce  septic  exhalations.  I  have  inquired  of  those  whose  bus- 
iness it  was  to  examine  every  place  where  there  was  any 
collection  of  filth  that  appeared  to  be  in  a  state  of  fermenta- 
tion, and  could  discover  nothing  more  within  that  space  than 
in  the  other  parts  of  the  town,  except  a  large  quantity  of 
imperfectly  cured  codfish  (stored  in  bulk)  confined  in  stores. 
In  one  store  only,  which  was  within  fifteen  yards  of  Bing- 
ham's house,  fifty  quintals  were  found  in  a  state  of  fermen- 
tation, emitting  a  very  disagreeable  odour,  part  of  which  had 
been  spread  in  the  open  air,  round  the  stores  and  sides  of 
the  street,  about  eight  or  ten  days  before  the  appearance  of 
the  fever,  after  which  the  stores  were  kept  shut  till  we  had 
severe  frost. 

The  above  is  all  I  can  collect  relative  to  the  local  origin  of 
the  fever.  About  a  fortnight  after  the  commencement  of  the 
fever,  I  was  taken  with  it  myself. 

I  am  etc. 

THOMAS  COIT. 

In  addition  to  these  letters  is  a  further  account 
of  the  great  epidemic,  written  by  Mr.  Channing  to 
Mr.  Green,  and  published  in  the  Connecticut  Ga- 
zatte,  September  4,  1799.  The  communication 
reads  as  follows : 

Mr.  Green: 

This  city,  during  the  summer  now  closed  [of  1799]  has  en- 
joyed its  usual  mild  and  salubrious  atmosphere;  and  in  many 
respects  has  the  season  been  distinguished  from  the  pestilen- 
tial summer  of  1798.  In  that  summer  from  the  28th  of  July 
to  the  first  of  September,  the  heat  was  intense;  the  mercury 
in  Parenheit  Thermometer,  placed  in  the  open  air  [in  a  north- 
ern exposure],  stood  at  mid-day  from  86dg  to  93dg,  with  the 
exception  of  five  days,  in  which  it  stood  at  82dg,  and  one  day 
at  78dg,  which  was  its  greatest  depression. 

There    was    only    one    thunder-shower    during    this    period. 


252      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

The  earth  being  parched  under  excessive  drought,  vegeta- 
tion failed  early  in  August,  and  many  trees  shed  their  leaves. 
It  was  noticed  that  the  air  was  remarkably  unelastic,  espec- 
ially in  that  part  of  the  city  in  which  the  desolating  sickness 
prevailed.  Our  usual  fresh  southwesters  left  us,  and  we  had 
only  very  light  winds  in  the  day.  Scarcely  a  day  occurred 
for  seven  weeks,  in  which  a  person  might  not  have  carried 
a  lighted  candle  through  the  streets.  The  nights  in  gloomy 
succession,  brought  a  deadly  calm,  attended  with  sultry  heat. 
Such  a  season  as  that  of  '98  is  not  within  the  recollection  of 
the  oldest  citizen. 

In  the  summer  of  1799,  the  season  has  been  mild.  There 
have  not  been  more  than  two  or  three  days  of  intense  heat, 
and  we  have  experienced,  in  but  a  few  instances,  the  sultry 
air  of  dog  days;  on  the  contrary,  the  atmosphere  has  been 
pure  and  elastic  to  an  unusual  degree.  We  have  had  very 
seasonable  rains,  and  frequently  attended  with  thunder.  Veg- 
etation continues  unusually  flourishing,  as  our  hills  still  re- 
tain their  verdure. 

The  citizens,  without  the  aid  of  a  thermometer,  have  con- 
stantly noticed  the  striking  difference  between  the  two  sea- 
sons; yet,  as  it  may  gratify  them  to  see  it  stated  from  accur- 
ate observation,  I  send  you  the  following  comparative  view 
of  observations  from  the  16th  of  August  to  the  28th  for  the 
years  1798  and  1799  which,  if  you  think  proper,  you  may  pub- 
lish. 

Yors  etc. 

H.  CHANNING. 

In  the  table  which  follows  this  communication 
the  temperature  at  noon  was  from  seven  to  twenty 
degrees  lower  in  1799,  than  in  1798,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  four  days.  The  experience  of  the  sum- 
mer of  1798  was  a  novel  one  for  New  London.  The 
infection  seemed  to  proceed  from  the  district 
pointed    out    in    the    foregoing    communications. 


channing's  ministry.  25S 

Many  persons,  as  one  of  the  letters  states,  removed 
from  town.  The  infected  district,  which  lay  mainly 
between  what  is  now  Golden  street  and  the  Parade, 
was  almost  entirely  abandoned.  All  classes  of  per- 
sons who  were  within  these  limits  were  attacked. 
The  symptoms  were  those  peculiar  to  the  disease, 
"languor  and  restlessness,  chills  and  flushes,  nausea, 
extreme  pains  in  the  head  and  back,  a  scurvy,  peal- 
ing tongue,  a  yellow  skin,  delerium  or  stupidity, 
the  black  vomit,  and  death."  Many  who  used  the 
greatest  precautions  had  the  disease  and  died. 
Many  who  were  most  exposed  to  the  infection  es- 
caped altogether.  But,  in  the  infected  district,  on- 
ly two  of  the  inhabitants  over  twelve  years  of  age, 
who  did  not  remove  on  the  first  appearance  of  the 
plague,  escaped  it.  It  could  not  be  checked  till  it 
had  spent  itself  by  the  middle  of  October.  The 
committee  of  health  Messrs.  John  Ingraham,  John 
Woodward,  James  Baxter,  and  Ebenezer  Holt  Jr., 
were  indefatigable  in  their  endeavors,  and  received 
a  vote  of  thanks  from  the  town  for  their  services. 
In  only  one  other  year  have  cases  of  this  epidemic 
appeared  in  New  London,  and  then,  in  1803,  they 
were  imported  and  did  not  spread.  The  year  of  the 
next  greatest  mortality  was  1801,  when  one  hundred 
and  two  died.  There  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
any  particular  epidemic  in  this  year  as  in  1798,  but 
an  unusual  amount  of  sickness. 

Mr.  Channing's  records  of  mortality  show  some 
interesting  facts  about  the  health  of  New  London 
during  the  period  of  his  pastorate.     There  were  nine 


254      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

hundred  and  forty-one  deaths,  or  an  average  of  al- 
most exactly  fifty  a  year.  The  lowest  rate  was  in 
1789  and  1790  when  but  twenty-nine  died,  and  in 
1804  when  but  twenty-eight  died.  Of  the  whole 
number  five  hundred  and  nineteen,  or  more  than 
half,  were  connected  with  the  First  Church  and 
congregation.  During  this  period  there  were  over 
sixteen  hundred  births  so  that  the  gain  was  about 
seven  hundred  in  spite  of  the  great  mortality  of  the 
years  1798  and  1801.  Several  people  lived  to  the 
great  age  of  one  hundred  years.  One  lived  a  de- 
cade into  a  second  century.  Eighty-seven  lived  to 
be  over  seventy — most  of  them  to  be  eighty  and 
upwards.  The  greatest  mortality  was  among  chil- 
dren between  birth  and  the  age  of  three. 


X. 

MINISTRY   OF   REV.    HENRY   CHANNING ; 
THE   CHURCH. 


On  the  date  of  his  ordination  Mr.  Channing  re- 
corded the  names  of  those  who  were  at  the  time 
members  of  the  church.  There  were  twelve  males 
and  forty-seven  females ;  a  total  of  fifty-nine.  This 
was  a  great  decline  from  the  days  of  Eliphalet 
Adams  and  the  Great  Awakening.  But  death,  and 
spiritual  declension  had  done  their  work.  During 
Mr.  Channing's  pastorate  two  hundred  and  forty- 
five  were  received  into  the  church.  He  baptized 
five  hundred  and  seventy-five  persons.  Quite  a 
number  of  these  were  adults,  who  were  at  the  time 
■received  into  the  church.  There  is  no  record  of 
baptisms,  as  in  former  pastorates,  which  reads  that 
certain  persons,  having  owned  the  covenant,  had 
their  children  baptized.  But  there  is  evidence,  that 
Mr.  Channing  practiced  the  halfway  covenant  in  its 
extreme  form ;  that  is  he  admitted  persons  to  mem- 
bership in  the  church,  who  claimed  no  experience 
of  the  new  birth. 

During  the  first  year  of  Mr.  Channing's  pastor- 
ate thirty-one  persons  were  admitted  to  the  church ; 
four  by  letter,  and  twenty-seven  upon  profession 


256        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

of  faith.  But  the  list  of  admissions  is  prefaced  with 
this  notice.  ''N.  B.  They  whose  names  have  C 
annexed  attend  the  Lord's  Supper,  they  with  no 
letter  annexed  attend  the  Baptism  only." 

In  1788  forty-six  persons  were  received  into  full 
fellowship;  two  by  letter,  the  remainder  on  profes- 
sion of  faith  and  by  special  vote  passed  January  6, 
1788.  "The  following  persons,  who  had  been  for 
many  years  in  covenant  [halfway]  with  this  church, 
but  had  not  joined  in  the  communion,  having  ap- 
plied to  the  pastor  for  admission  to  this  privilege, 
were  considered  by  the  church  as  regular  in  their 
standing,  and  agreeably  to  their  request  were  ad- 
mitted to  sit  with  us  in  full  communion." 

The  list  of  names  is  as  follows : 

Richard  Law, 

Anna  Law, 

Timothy  Green, 

Jonathan  Crocker, 

Katherine  Richards, 

Sarah  Brown, 

Lucy  Gaylord, 

Samuel  Whittemore, 

Rhoda  Whittemore, 

Also  at  a  former  communion  Lydia  Douglas. 
By  the  foregoing  vote  these  ten  were  admitted  to 
full  membership  in  the  church,  whom  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge's  stricter  discipline  had  kept  out.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Whittemore  were  admitted  on  the  strength  of 
their  having  been  previously  in  halfway  covenant 
relations    with   the    church    in    Wethersfield.     Mr. 


channing's  ministry.  257 

Green,  who  was  one  of  the  ten,  was  chosen  deacon 
the  following  April. 

Whether  the  large  number  of  additions  in  1788 
was  due  to  what  we  now  call  a  special  religious 
quickening,  nothing  appears  to  show.  The  vote 
quoted  above  however,  would  seem  to  suggest  that 
Mr.  Channing's  views  upon  the  requisites  for  church 
membership,  being  considerably  less  rigorous  than 
those  of  his  predecessor,  had  not  a  little  to  do  with 
it. 

In  1794  forty-eight  persons  were  received  into 
the  church  and  eighteen  in  1799.  Most  of  these 
were  upon  profession  of  faith.  Several  cases  of  ad- 
mission to  full  church  privileges,  on  the  strength  of 
a  former  assent  to  the  halfway  covenant,  show  Mr. 
Channing's  theological  tendencies  at  the  time. 
''December  6  [1789.]  Sarah  Simmons,  formerly  in 
the  covenant  of  the  church,"  was  admitted  to  full 
membership.  Nine  others  were  admitted  to  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  to  full  church  privileges  on  the 
same  basis,  during  his  pastorate,  in  accordance  with 
the  vote  of  January  6,  1788.  There  is  nothing  to 
show  that  one  of  these  persons  made  any  profession 
of  having  experienced  the  renewal  of  the  Holy  Spir- 
it, and  that  change  of  heart,  which  is  considered  an 
essential  requisite  in  those  who  are  admitted  now 
to  church  membership.  The  beginning  of  such  ad- 
missions probably  marks  approximately  the  date 
when  Mr.  Channing's  change  of  view  took  place, 
which  became  very  pronounced  at  the  close  of  his 
ministry  here. 


258       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

A  number  were  received  into  the  church  in  their 
homes,  on  account  of  illness,  and  the  Lord's  Supper 
was  administered  to  them  in  their  sick  rooms. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Channing's  ordination,  the  church 
unanimously  passed  the  following  vote.  ''Voted 
unanimously,  That  all  persons  who  profess  the 
Christian  Faith,  and  take  upon  themselves  the  ob- 
ligations of  the  Covenant  are  entitled  to  all  the 
Privileges  of  the  Gospel  in  this  Church  so  long  as 
they  continue  to  walk  regularly.  And  that  when 
persons,  thus  in  Covenant  with  this  church,  yet  ab- 
senting themselves  from  the  Lord's  Supper, 
through  scruples  of  conscience,  shall  find  their 
doubts  removed,  and  are  desirous  of  attending  the 
Communion,  they  are  to  communicate  their  desire 
to  the  Pastor,  who  is  to  communicate  it  to  the 
church  at  some  convenient  season  before  the  sacra- 
ment. If  no  objection  be  seasonably  offered,  the 
Pastor  will  give  notice  to  the  person  ofifering  him- 
self, who  then  is  to  attend  in  full  communion  with 
the  church."  The  exact  meaning  of  this  vote  does 
not  appear.  But  it  probably  was  intended  to  reach 
cases  which  came  under  the  halfway  covenant. 

August  5,  1790  another  vote  was  passed  relating 
to  persons  who  might  be  admitted  to  partake  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  "Whereas  there  are  persons,  pro- 
fessing the  Christian  faith,  and  visibly  walking  in 
good  conscience  before  God  and  man,  who,  consid- 
ering themselves  as  connected  with  other  churches 
that  dissent  from  us,  do  not  unite  with  us  as  stated 


channing's  ministry.  259 

members  in  this  Church,  yet  are  desirous  of  occas- 
ionally joining  in  our  communion. 

Voted,  That  all  persons  professing  the  Christian 
Faith,  and  visibly  walking  according  to  the  Gospel ; 
yet  for  the  reason  above  mentioned  do  not  become 
members  of  this  church,  may  upon  application  at, 
or  before  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
be  admitted  to  the  same  as  an  occasional  communi- 
cant. Provided  that  it  is  always  understood  that 
such  persons  conform  to  the  order  of  the  Gospel  as 
observed  in  this  church  at  the  administration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper." 

Whether  this  vote  was  intended  to  meet  the  case 
of  certain  Episcopalians  or  Methodists,  there  is 
no  means  of  knowing.  But  such  seems  likely  to 
have  been  its  aim.  For  among  the  papers  of  the 
church  is  the  following  which  may  point  to  similar 
cases  intended  by  the  foregoing  vote. 

To  whom  it  may  concern. 

This  may  certify  that  Capt.  Samll  Wheat  of  New  London 
is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  this  town,  and  for 
three  years  past  hath  ordinarily  attended  and  still  Doth  at- 
tend public  worship  with  Said  Society  and  hath  Contributed 
his  Due  proportion  to  the  support  of  the  Worship  and  minis- 
try in  Said  Episcopal  Society  for  three  years  past.  Signd 
by  order  of  the  Right  Revd  Samel  [Seabury]  Bishop  of  Con- 
necticut and  sd  church. 

New  London  June  11,  1788. 

This  document  was  signed  by  Jonathan  Starr 
Junior  and  Roswell  Saltonstall  who  were  church 
wardens.     It  seems  to  have  been  a  certificate  of 


260      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

church  membership,  such  as  one  presents  to  a 
church,  with  which  he  desires  temporarily  to  walk 
in  fellowship,  and  whose  privileges  he  desires  tem- 
porarily to  enjoy,  but  with  which  he  does  not  wish 
to  connect  himself. 

Persons  who  were  admitted  to  the  church  on  pro- 
fession of  faith  were  required  to  give  assent  to  what 
was  called  the  "Profession  and  Covenant."  The 
Articles  of  Faith  and  Covenant  which  are  now  in 
use,  are  substantially  the  same  that  were  in  use  when 
Mr.  Channing  became  the  pastor.  But,  after  his 
change  of  view,  he  drew  up  a  form  of  admission, 
whose  statement  of  doctrine  was  more  in  harmony 
with  his  new  beliefs.  This  new  statement,  or  Pro- 
fession and  Covenant,  was  never  adopted  by  vote 
of  the  church,  says  Dr.  McEwen.  However  Mr. 
Channing  was  allowed  to  use  it;  not  altogether 
without  protest,  as  will  be  seen  later  in  the  narra- 
tive. 

Some  of  the  dismissions  from  the  church,  and  the 
rules  adopted  relating  thereto,  are  interesting  and 
suggestive  items  of  the  history  of  this  pastorate.  It 
appears  that  Sarah  Latimer,  who  had  joined  the 
church  in  1772,  had  for  a  considerable  period  ab- 
sented herself  from  the  communion  of  the  church. 
When  the  matter  was  brought  to  her  attention,  she 
gave  as  a  reason,  dissatisfaction  "with  the  ordin- 
ances, discipline  and  order  of  this  Church ;  and  par- 
ticularly the  restraint  upon  the  Sisters,  which  does 
not  sufifer  them  to  speak  in  church."  She  also  de- 
clared herself  to  be  more  in  sympathy  with  "a  Sep- 


channing's  ministry.  261 

arate  Anabaptist  church  in  Lyme,"  with  which  she 
had  already  connected  herself,  having,  in  accord- 
ance with  their  tenets  and  requirements,  been  re- 
baptized  among  them.  In  view  of  this  case  it  was 
unanimously  voted  by  the  church,  at  a  meeting  held 
May  5,  1 791  "that  Sarah  Latimer  be  dismissed  from 
this  church,  and  be  considered  as  no  longer  sustain- 
ing a  relation  to  the  same,  as  one  of  its  members. 
It  being  however,  not  in  the  intention  of  this  vote, 
to  censure  her  separation  from  this  church." 

Ann  Angel  united  with  this  church  May  11,  1794. 
July  31,  1794,  the  following  action  was  taken  in  her 
case.  "Ann  Angel,  lately  admitted  into  this  church, 
having  requested  that  she  may  be  dismissed,  and  her 
relation  to  this  Church  be  dissolved ;  stating  as  her 
reason  for  this  request  that  she  prefers  the  Meth- 
odist discipline,  and  mode  of  worship,  and  wishes 
to  join  the  Methodist  Church,  Voted  unanimously 
that  her  request  be  granted,  and  accordingly  her  re- 
lation to  this  church  is  dissolved."  The  Methodist 
Church  had  been  organized  the  previous  year, 

Jacob  Stockman  united  with  this  church  in  1787. 
At  a  church  meeting  held  February  21st  1796,  he 
requested  to  have  his  name  removed  from  the  list 
of  members.  The  reason  which  he  gave  for  the  re- 
quest was,  his  objection  to  the  church,  its  method, 
and  its  order.  It  was  "voted,  that  his  request  be- 
granted,  and  accordingly  his  relation  to  this  church 
is  dissolved."  But  the  vote  distinctly  stated  that 
this  action  was  not  taken  "on  the  ground  of  the  va- 
lidity of  his  objections  to  this  church,"  but  because- 


262       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

with  his  mistaken  views  he  could  not  "continue  a 
peaceable  and  useful  member  of  the  church." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  church  held  November  13, 
1794,  certain  rules  were  unanimously  passed  "for 
dismission  of  Members  of  this  Church,  removing  in- 
to other  Towns ;  and  for  the  admission  of  Members 
of  other  churches  removing  from  other  Towns  to 
settle  in  New  London.  These  rules  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Whereas  several  Members  of  this  church  have  removed 
from  this  town,  and  not  having  received  a  letter  of  dismis- 
sion according  to  present  usages,  are  therefore  considered  as 
continuing  in  their  particular  relation  to  this  church;  and  at- 
tend only  as  occasional  communicants  in  the  towns  where  they 
reside;  It  being  generally  impracticable  to  extend  our  brotherly 
care  and  discipline  to  them,  on  account  of  their  remote  sit- 
uation from  us;  Therefore 

Voted;  That  when  any  of  the  Members  of  this  Church  re- 
move from  this  Town  and  settle  in  any  Town  in  which  there 
is  a  Church  in  fellowship  with  this  Church;  such  person  shall 
be  considered  as  no  longer  subject  to  the  particular  care  and 
discipline  of  this  Church,  as  a  Member  of  the  same. 

Voted:  That  when  a  Member  of  a  church  in  our  fellowship, 
settles  in  this  Town,  and  attends  upon  the  Ordinances  of  the 
Gospel  in  this  Church,  such  person  shall  be  considered  as  sub- 
ject to  the  particular  care  and  discipline  of  this  Church,  as 
a  Member  of  the  same.  It  being  understood  that  such  person 
produce  satisfactory  evidence  that,  at  the  time  of  his  re- 
moval, he  was  in  regular  connection  with  the  Church  from 
whence  he  came. 

Voted  in  the  First  Church  Nov.  13,  1794." 

Agreeably  to  the  foregoing  resolutions  the  follow- 


CHANNING'S  MINISTRY.  263 

ing  form  of  certificate  was  adopted  to  be  given  to 
members  removing  from  Town : 

"To  the  Church  in  L.  etc. 

This  is  a  Testimonial  that  A.  B.  is  a  member  in  the  com- 
munion of  the  first  church  of  Christ  in  New  London,  in  regu- 
lar connection  with  said  church,  and  as  such  is  entitled  to  all 
the  privileges  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  churches  of  Christ. 

As  he  is  now  removing  from  New  London  to  L.  where  there 
is  a  Church  in  fellowship  with  this  Church,  after  due  time 
for  his  settlement  there  he  will  be  considered  no  longer  sub- 
ject to  the  particular  care  and  discipline  of  this  church,  as  a 
member  of  the  same.  This  being  according  to  the  rule  in 
such  case  provided,  as  appears  from  the  Records  of  the 
Church.—" 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  foregoing  vote  has 
been  rescinded  at  any  time. 

The  disciphne  of  the  church,  particularly  in  cases 
of  scandalous  conduct,  was  carefully  maintained 
during  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Channing.  The  follow- 
ing cases  are  in  point.  At  the  close  of  service,  Oc- 
tober 5th,  1788,  one  of  the  sisters  of  the  church, 
whose  name  is  not  given,  confessed  her  sin,  declared 
her  sorrow,  and  begged  the  forgiveness  of  the 
church.  Whereupon  it  was  "Voted.  That  accord- 
ing to  the  Rules  of  the  Gospel,  this  acknowledg- 
ment is  satisfactory,  and  that  this  offending  sister 
is  restored  to  her  standing  in  this  church."  Other 
similar  cases  were  treated  in  the  same  manner.  Au- 
gust II,  1796,  one  of  the  sisters  made  an  ''acknowl- 
edgment of  the  sin  of  intemperance."  September 
4th  of  the  same  year  one  of  the  brethren  acknowl- 
edged the  same  sin.     These,  by  vote  of  the  church, 


264      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

were  restored  to  the  standing  which  their  act  had 
forfeited.  May  i8th,  1797  another  brother  in  the 
church  acknowledged  the  sin  ''of  profane  swearing 
and  a  long-continued  neglect  of  worship  and  the 
ordinances,  not  for  conscientious  scruples."  By 
vote  of  the  church  he  was  forgiven  and  restored. 

Titus  Whipple  joined  this  church  in  1788. 
March  15,  1792,  a  church  meeting  was  held  after 
preparatory  lecture  to  consider  complaints  which 
had  been  made  against  him.  The  charges  were 
that  he  persistently  absented  himself  from  the  or- 
dinances and  public  worship  of  the  church,  and 
that,  when  remonstrated  with,  he  continued  in  the 
same  course.  When  given  leave  to  speak  for  him- 
self, Mr.  Whipple  "acknowledged  that  he  had 
indeed  absented  himself  as  stated  in  the  complaint 
before  the  church,  but  that  he  had  statedly  attended 
public  worship  at  other  places.  He  then  declared 
the  reason  of  his  withdrawing  from  this  church. 
That  he  was  informed  some  of  the  members  of  the 
church  had  attended  the  Assembly  in  this  town ; 
in  which  he  was  informed  were  dancing  and  cards, 
and  these  amusements  continued  untill  very  late 
hours  in  the  night.  This  he  considered  contrary 
to  the  Gospel  of  Christ;  and  that  it  deserved  the 
public  censures  of  the  church.  And  that  as  no 
proceedings  in  the  church  had  taken  place  on  ac- 
count of  these  things,  he  considered  himself  holden 
in  conscience  to  withdraw  from  the  worship  and 
ordinances  of  this  church." 

Mr.   Whipple   was   not   censured,   although   the 


channing's  ministry.  265 

church  voted  that  there  was  just  cause  of  com- 
plaint and  that  the  reasons  which  he  gave  were  not 
satisfactory.  Later  both  himself  and  wife  were  dis- 
missed. But  Mr.  Whipple's  action  and  protest, 
together  with  its  discussion,  bore  good  fruit.  For 
two  months  later.  May  lo,  1792,  the  following  vote 
was  passed  and  the  church  put  itself  on  record  con- 
cerning the  practices  which  had  grieved  Mr.  Whip- 
ple, and  of  which  he  alleged  certain  members  were 
guilty.     The  action  taken  was  as  follows  : 

"Whereas  it  has  been  represented  that  this  Church  approve 
of  Professors  of  religion  continuing  amusements  untill  late 
hours  of  the  night,  also  of  playing  at  cards;  We  think  proper 
to  declare  the  sense  of  this  Church,  that  we  do  not  approve 
of  the  absence  of  any  from  their  families  untill  late  hours  of 
the  night  unless  upon  necessary  occasions;  neither  do  we 
approve  of  card  playing  as  it  is  productive  of  evil  to  Society 
and  is  contrary  to  the  good  and  wholesome  laws  of  the  Gov- 
ernment under  which  we  live.  Voted  in  the  First  Church  of 
New  London  May  10th,  1792." 

This  vote  of  the  church,  taken  over  one  hundred 
years  ago  has  never  been  reconsidered.  The 
church  still  stands  committed  to  it.  The  action 
taken  in  the  case  of  Titus  Whipple  seemed  to  give 
the  impression  that  the  church  looked  with  a  lenient 
eye  upon  such  practices,  and  it  was  compelled  in 
self-defense  to  pass  this  vote. 

Other  cases  of  discipline,  for  various  offences, 
were  taken  up.  But  these  given  are  sufficient  to 
show  that  care  was  taken  to  keep  the  church  free 
from    scandal.      Offences    like    these    cited    were 


266       LATER  HISTORY   OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

promptly  dealt  with,  but  at  the  same  time  in  a  spirit 
of  Christian  forbearance. 

A  good  many  calls  were  sent  to  the  church,  dur- 
ing Mr.  Channing's  pastorate,  to  sit  on  ecclesiastical 
councils  to  settle  or  dismiss,  pastors,  or  to  adjust 
difficulties.  Some  of  these  were  occasions  of  great 
significance  and  importance.  August  2^,  1787,  an 
invitation  was  accepted  from  the  Church  of  Christ, 
Bridgehampton,  L.  I.,  to  sit  on  a  council  called  for 
the  purpose  of  ordaining  Mr.  Aaron  Woolworth  as 
its  pastor.  William  Douglas,  Jr.,  was  chosen  dele- 
gate to  accompany  the  pastor.  February  ist,  1789, 
a  letter  was  received  from  the  Church  of  Christ  in 
Groton,  representing  "that  difficulties  subsisted 
among  them  which  called  for  the  advice  of  their 
Christian  Brethren."  This  church  was  therefore 
invited  to  sit  on  an  ecclesiastical  council  to  advise 
and  assist  the  church  in  Groton  ''in  their  doubtful 
state."  Dea.  Timothy  Green  was  chosen  delegate 
with  Dea.  Robert  Manwaring  as  alternate.  May 
22,  1803,  an  invitation  was  received  from  the  Fed- 
eral Street  Church  in  Boston  to  be  present  by  pas- 
tor and  delegate  and  "join  in  a  Council  to  be  con- 
vened on  Wednesday  the  first  day  of  June  next, 
for  the  purpose  of  solemnly  separating  Mr.  William 
E.  Channing  to  the  Pastoral  Ofhce  in  that  Church." 
Mr.  Jedediah  Huntington  was  chosen  delegate. 
William  E.  Channing  was  nephew  of  Rev.  Henry 
Channing,  and  had  spent  some  time  in  his  uncle's 
family  under  his  instruction.  This  pastorate,  on 
that  day  consummated,  was  destined  to  figure  con- 


CHANNING'S  MINISTRY.  267 

spicuously  in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  New 
England.  For  the  young  man  who  was  that  day 
ordained  became  the  leader  in  the  Unitarian  schism 
which  took  place  a  few  years  later.  In  the  nephew 
was  borne  the  full  fruit  of  the  uncle's  change  of 
view.  October  23,  1805,  a  council  was  called,  to 
settle  serious  difhculties  within  it,  by  the  church  in 
Mansfield.  This  church  was  represented  by  the 
pastor  and  Mr.  Guy  Richards  as  delegate.  The 
difficulties  arose  on  account  of  the  views  of  the 
pastor,  Rev.  John  Sherman,  who  had  embraced 
Unitarianism.  His  popularity  was  such  that  he  car- 
ried with  him  almost  the  entire  congregation,  and 
a  large  minority  of  the  church.  The  marvel  is  that 
the  church  was  not  wrecked.  It  was  delivered  from 
its  troubles  by  the  dismission  of  the  pastor,  which 
neither  he  nor  the  society  expected.  This  council 
had  an  important  bearing  on  future  events  in  the 
First  Church. 

In  this  connection  may  be  mentioned  another 
convention,  or  ecclesiastical  gathering,  showing  the 
relation  between  the  churches  in  the  county  at  the 
time.  A  letter-missive  from  the  New  London  Coun- 
ty Association  was  read  to  the  church,  and  acted  on 
November  16,  1794.  "Brother  Timothy  Green  was 
chosen  a  Delegate  of  this  church,  to  join  in  a  con- 
vention of  Pastors  and  Delegates  from  the  churches 
of  said  County,  to  meet  at  Norwich  on  the  second 
Tuesday  in  Jany,  1795,  for  the  purpose  of  consult- 
ing on  measures  to  promote  union  and  mutual  edi- 
fication among  the  churches  of  this  district." 


268      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

The  convention  was  held,  and  action  was  taken 
which  looked  to  the  formation  of  a  consociation. 
Report  of  the  doings  of  the  convention  was  made 
to  the  church  February  i,  1795.  "The  Convention 
recommended,  that,  considering  the  present  state  of 
religion,  and  the  events  taking  place  in  the  world, 
the  churches  should  appoint  stated  seasons  for  pray- 
er to  God,  for  those  blesingss  which  his  church  and 
people  need."  Up  to  this  point  there  could  be  no 
objection.  But  the  next  proposition  did  not  meet 
with  so  cordial  reception.  "It  was  proposed  in  con- 
vention, to  adopt  measures  to  promote  nearer  union 
among  these  churches.  *  *  ^  It  appeared  that  the 
proposal  contemplated  the  establishment  of  a  body, 
consisting  of  Pastors  and  delegates,  to  receive  ap- 
peals from  the  churches,  and  exercise  a  controul- 
ing  power  over  them,  in  doctrine  and  discipline." 
This  proposal  met  with  warm  opposition  in  the  con- 
vention and  was  defeated  by  a  large  majority,  as  not 
consistent  with  the  independence  of  the  churches. 
This  church  had  twice  rejected  the  Saybrook  Plat- 
form as  a  rule  of  discipline,  and  it  could  have  been 
depended  on  to  reject  this  proposal  if  it  had  been 
carried  in  the  convention.  No  further  efforts  were 
made  to  form  a  consociation  in  New  London  Coun- 
ty till  after  Dr.  McEwen  was  in  the  field.  In  1815 
his  strong  purpose  and  personality  carried  it 
through.     But  it  did  not  long  outlive  him. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Channing  the  follow- 
ing deacons  were  elected:  April  17,  1788,  Timothy 
Green   and   Robert   Manwaring;   November    13th, 


channing's  ministry.  269 

1794,  John  Arnold;  April  17,  1796,  Oliver  Chap- 
man ;  January  20,  1799,  Jedediah  Huntington ;  Sep- 
tember II,  1803,  Guy  Richards. 

In  1793  a  solid  silver  communion  cup  was  given 
to  the  church  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Richards,  widow  of 
Guy  Richards.  She  also  left,  at  her  death,  a  small 
legacy  of  forty  dollars,  with  no  directions  as  to 
its  use.  A  vote  taken  November  13,  1794  explains 
what  disposition  was  made  of  part  of  it : 

"On  motion,  Voted  That  the  Deacons  together  with  the 
Persons  elected  as  above  [John  Arnold  and  Oliver  Chapman] 
be  a  committee  to  consider  and  determine  respecting  a  pro- 
posed alteration  of  the  Tankards  belonging  to  the  church 
into  cups,  as  more  convenient  for  the  service  of  the  Table. 
And  the  said  Committee  were  directed,  if  they  determined  in 
favor  of  said  alteration,  to  have  the  same  made,  and  defray 
the  expense  from  the  surplus  of  metal  in  said  Tankards,  or 
from  a  legacy  left  to  this  Church  by  the  late  Elizabeth  Rich- 
ards deed." 

Agreeably  to  the  foregoing  vote  two  of  the  tank- 
ards were  altered  into  cups,  as  appears  from  the  rec- 
ords. There  were  then  eight  silver  cups  and  one 
tankard.  This  tankard  was  also  altered  at  a  later 
date.  A  list  of  church  furniture  made  by  Mr.  Chan- 
ning  in  1787,  shows  that  at  that  time  there  were 
two  silver  cups  given  in  1699,  two  purchased  in 
1724,  one  silver  tankard  given  by  the  Hon.  Gur- 
don  Saltonstall  in  1725,  one  silver  tankard  given  by 
Mrs.  Saltenstall  in  1726,  one  silver  tankard  given 
by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fox  in  1742,  two  pewter  flagons, 
two  pewter  platters,  a  folio  bible  given  by  Madame 
Temperance  Shaw  in  1789,  and  a  baptismal  basin 


270      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH 

purchased  in  1790.  The  tankard  given  by  Mr.  Sal- 
tonstall  and  that  given  by  Mrs.  Fox  made  two  cups 
each.  That  given  by  Mrs.  Saltonstall  was  smaller 
and  made  one.  Thus  at  the  close  of  the  century 
the  church  had  ten  solid  silver  communion  cups, 
all  of  which  are  still  in  use.  March  31,  1796  the 
church  voted  that  the  remainder  of  the  legacy  of 
Mrs.  Richards,  after  deducting  expense  of  altering 
the  tankards,  "be  applied  by  the  Deacons  to  the  re- 
lief of  the  poor  of  this  church." 

During  this  pastorate  collections  were  taken  in 
the  church  for  missionary  purposes.  There  are  on 
file  receipts  for  money  paid  by  the  church  to  the 
"Treasurer  to  the  Misionary  Society,"  dated  as  early 
as  1793.  Before  the  organization  of  the  Missionary 
Society  of  Connecticut  in  1798,  various  pastors  of 
the  state  were  sent  into  those  portions  of  v^ermont, 
New  York,  etc.,  where  colonists  from  Connecticut 
had  gone,  to  carry  to  them  the  gospel.  This  church 
seems  to  have  contributed  statedly  to  this  object. 
When  the  Missionary  Society  was  formed,  it  be- 
came one  of  the  regular  contributors  to  the  treas- 
ury. 

Mr.  Channing's  change  of  views  took  definite 
shape  about  two  years  after  his  ordination.  There 
were  signs  as  to  which  way  the  tide  was  setting  from 
the  first.  But  some  time  elapsed  before  it  became 
evident  that  he  had  renounced  some  of  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  held  by  the  church  of  which  he 
was  pastor,  and  the  churches  in  the  state  with  which 
it  was  associated.     One  of  the  decisive  proofs  of  the 


channing's  ministry.  271 

radical  change  which  had  taken  place  was,  not  only 
in  the  different  flavor  of  his  preaching,  from  which 
was  more  and  more  evidently  absent  all  reference 
to  the  distinctive  Trinitarian  doctrines,  but  also  in 
his  substituting  in  place  of  the  creed  and  covenant  in 
use  when  he  was  ordained,  one  of  his  own  construc- 
tion, more  in  harmony  with  the  views  which  he  had 
recently  espoused.  The  date  at  which  the  new  pro- 
fession and  covenant  came  into  use  is  nowhere  giv- 
en. For  as  has  already  been  said  the  question  of 
the  change  was  never  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the 
church.  Probably  Mr.  Channing  did  not  think  it: 
wise  to  put  the  matter  to  a  test.  Nor  did  the  church 
make  any  protest  against  the  change.  And  so  Mr. 
Channing's  statement  was  allowed  to  take  the  place 
of  the  creed  and  covenant  in  use,  without  chal- 
lenge. It  is  significant  of  the  stable  character  of 
the  churches  of  this  state  that  not  one  of  them  ever 
went  over  to  the  new  views ;  although  the  pastors 
of  three  of  them,  Mansfield,  New  Milford  and  New 
London  accepted  these  views.  For  seventeen  years 
this  church  had  a  pastor  who  was  a  Unitarian.  But 
there  is  no  proof  that  he  persuaded  a  single  member 
of  the  church  to  abandon  the  old  faith.  On  the  oth- 
er hand  the  evidences  are  the  other  way.  For  when 
the  matter  was  brought  to  an  issue  by  his  resigna- 
tion there  was  no  voice  raised  against  it. 

An  examination  of  the  profession  and  covenant 
which  Mr.  Channing  substituted  for  the  creed  and 
covenant  which  he  found  in  use,  will  best  illustrate 
the  change  which  had  taken  place  in   his  views. 


272        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

The  new  statement,  which  was  probably  first  used 
about  1789  or  1790,  reads  as  follows: 

"PROFESSION  AND  COVENANT. 

In  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  the  searcher  of  hearts, 
and  before  this  assembly,  you  profess  your  unfeigned  belief 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  given  by  divine  inspiration,  your 
acceptance  of  all  the  doctrines  contained  in  them,  and  your 
submission    to  the  whole  will  of  God  revealed  in  his  word. 

You  do  now  acknowledge  the  Lord  Jehovah,  the  one  living 
and  true  God,  to  be  your  God;  and  relying  upon  divine  assis- 
tance, do  promise  to  walk  humbly  with  God. 

Professing  repentance  of  all  your  sins,  and  faith  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  you  sincerely  receive  him,  as  he  is  offered 
in  the  gospel,  as  the  Teacher  come  from  God — the  High 
Priest  of  our  profession — and  the  King  and  head  of  the  church; 
believing  that  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given 
among  men  whereby  you  must  be  saved. 

Depending  on  the  Holy  Spirit  for  sanctification,  consolation 
and  spiritual  strength,  and,  receiving  the  word  of  God  as  the 
only  rule  of  your  faith  and  practice,  you  submit  to  the  broth- 
erly care  of  this  church  of  Christ,  and  to  the  discipline  which 
he  hath  established  in  his  church. 

You  do  now  solemnly  give  up  yourself  and  all  that  you  have 
unto  God;  promising  that  you  will  endeavor  to  walk  as  be- 
cometh  the  gospel  of  Christ,  that  you  may  give  no  cause 
for  others  to  speak  evil  of  it  on  your  account;  but  that  the 
name  of  God  may  be  glorified  in  you. — Thus  you  profess  and 
covenant." 

It  will  not  require  a  very  close  examination  to  de- 
tect the  difference  between  this  statement,  and  the 
creed  and  covenant  now  in  use.  Mr.  Channing 
omitted  all  references  to  Jesus  as  ''the  Son  of  God, 
equal  with  the  Father ;"  to  the  Holy  Ghost  as  a  di- 
vine person  in  the  Godhead ;  to  all  the  distinctively 


CHANNING'S  MINISTRY.  273 

Trinitarian  doctrines.  It  was  among  the  earliest,  if 
it  was  not  the  first,  formal  statement  of  modem 
Unitarianism.  Dr.  Field  says  of  it :  "It  contains 
only  such  doctrines  as  would  have  been  subscribed 
to  by  Unitarians  at  the  beginning  of  this  century.'* 
Whatever  his  views  were  at  the  opening  of  his  min- 
istry, it  soon  became  evident  that  he  omitted  from 
his  teachings  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  as  they 
had  always  been  taught  in  this  church.  It  is  said 
that  he  once  preached  against  the  doctrine  of 
Christ's  divinity,  but  he  was  warned  that  he  could 
not  preach  such  doctrines  and  remain  pastor  of  the 
church.  He  afterwards  forbore  all  polemic  discus- 
sions, and  devoted  himself  to  preaching  the  morali- 
ties of  life,  with  an  entire  negation  of  all  the  evan- 
gelical doctrines.  The  result  was  a  growing  indif- 
ference to  religion  which  deepened  into  open 
neglect  of  it.  The  people  became  indifferent  to  his 
ministry. 

The  uneasiness  and  growing  dissatisfaction, 
which  the  pastor's  views  caused  among  the  people 
of  his  congregation,  took  definite  shape,  March  23, 
1799.  As  the  matter  was  brought  before  the  church 
at  a  meeting  held  September  5,  1799,  its  action  will 
best  state  the  case.  At  that  meeting  the  pastor  "in- 
formed the  church  that  he  had  entered  a  complaint 
against  one  of  the  brethren,  that  he  deemed  it  im- 
proper that  he  should  preside  in  the  church,  and 
desired  them  to  choose  a  moderator  to  preside  while 
said  complaint  was  pending."  Agreeably  to  this 
request  Mr.  Richard  Law  was  chosen.     The  church 


274       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

then  proceeded  to  consider  the  pastor's  complaint, 
which  was  read  by  the  moderator,  and  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

To  the  first  church  of  Christ  New  London. 

Henry  Channing,  Pastor  of  this  church,  complains  of  Rob- 
ert Manwaring  one  of  the  Brethren  and  late  a  Deacon  in 
this  church,  charging  him  with  being  the  author  of  a  certain 
writing  containing  the  following  words,  'Mr.  Henry  Chan- 
ning, we  agreed  with  you  to  preach  Jesus  Christ,  not  John 
Adams,  in  that  most  Holy  Place,  I  mean  the  pulpit,'  which 
writing  was  aflBxed  to  the  Public  Sign  post  in  this  City,  be- 
ing found  on  the  same  on  the  morning  after  the  public  Fast, 
which  was  on  the  twenty-second  day  of  March  last;  and  that 
the  said  writing,  thus  published,  is  evidently  opposed  to  the 
spirit  of  Christian  Charity,  and  was  a  wicked  attempt  to 
bring  scandal  and  Reproach  upon  the  public  Labours  of  the 
Pastor;  all  which  is  submitted  to  the  Judgement  of  this 
church. 

New  London,  Aug.  27,  1799. 

HENRY   CHANNING. 

Mr.  Manwaring  had  been  cited  to  appear  and  was 
present  at  the  meeting,  and  heard  the  complaint 
against  him  read.  When  called  upon  to  answer  "he 
before  the  Church  solemnly  Denied  that  he  was 
Guilty  of  the  charge  mentioned  in  said  complaint." 
The  church  then  proceeded  to  hear  the  evidence  in 
support  of  the  accusation,  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
the  other  hand  that  offered  by  Mr.  Manwaring  in 
support  of  his  solemn  denial.  The  evidence  upon 
which  the  charge  was  based  was,  principally,  a  com- 
parison of  specimens  of  Mr.  Manwaring's  handwrit- 
ing with  that  of  the  paper  in  question.     Also  some 


channing's  ministry.  275 

verbal  testimony  was  given  "relative  to  some  cor- 
roborating circumstances."  Mr.  Manwaring  also 
produced  specimens  of  his  own  handwriting  to  dis- 
prove that  he  was  the  author  of  the  ofifending  docu- 
ment. The  church  after  careful  and  critical  exam- 
ination of  the  case  passed  the  following  votes : 

1  Voted — That  the  Evidence  from  the  Similarity  of  hands 
and  other  Circumstances  attending  the  same,  affords  a  suf- 
ficient ground  to  raise  a  reasonable  Suspicion  so  as  to  jus- 
tify the  institution  of  the  Complaint  and  an  Enquiry  thereon. 

2  Voted — That  the  Evidence  provided  in  support  of  the 
Facts  in  said  complaint  alledged  is  not  sufficient  to  con- 
vince our  minds  that  the  said  Manwaring  is  guilty,  and  there- 
fore find  he  is  not  Guilty  of  the  charge  in  said  Complaint 
alleged.  RICHARD  LiAW,  Moderator. 

Although  Mr.  Manwaring  was  acquitted  of  the 
charge,  some  one  was  the  author  of  the  writing,  and 
some  one  affixed  it  to  the  public  sign  post.  It 
showed  beyond  question  that  the  uneasiness  on  ac- 
count of  the  pastor's  views  was  growing  into  posi- 
tive opposition  to  them  in  the  church.  But  as  he 
did  not  openly  preach  these  views  after  he  was 
warned  that  he  could  not  remain  pastor  of  the 
church  if  he  did,  and  as  it  was  held  that  a  minister 
was  settled  for  life,  there  was  no  serious  interrup- 
tion in  the  harmonious  intercourse  between  him 
and  his  people.  Indeed  it  appeared  before  the 
council  that  dismissed  him  that  many  of  the  people 
were  strongly  attached  to  the  man.  It  was  not  the 
pastor,  but  his  views  to  which  they  objected.  So 
that  when  the  issue  was  raised  by  him  between  an 


276      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

increase  of  his  salary,  or  his  resignation,  the  latter 
alternative  was  at  once  accepted. 

This  brings  us  to  the  events  which  operated  to 
bring  matters  to  a  climax,  and  to  end  the  pastorate. 
One  was  the  raising  of  the  question  of  increasing 
his  salary.  The  letter  of  January  21,  1797,  which 
he  addressed  to  the  society  upon  this  subject,  was 
received  by  that  body.  But  no  reply  was  made  to 
it,  as  we  have  seen,  until  March  3,  1806,  when  the 
society's  letter  of  October,  1805,  quoted  in  a  pre- 
vious chapter,  was  delivered  to  him.  So  that  his 
request  remained  without  reply  for  over  nine  years. 
February  21,  1806,  Mr.  Channing,  deeply  pained  at 
the  silence  which  the  society  had  maintained  with 
reference  to  his  request,  and  at  their  evident  purpose 
not  to  answer  it,  wrote  the  following  letter,  by  which 
the  matter,  which  had  so  long  lain  in  abeyance,  was 
closed  forever. 

New  London,  Feby  21st,  1806. 
Gentlemen: 

After  a  painful  silence  of  nine  years,  it  has  become  neces- 
sary for  me  again  to  take  my  pen. 

In  my  letter  to  the  committee  of  January  21st,  1797,  which 
remains  unanswered,  I  stated  with  the  frankness  of  an  hon- 
est man  and  of  a  christian  minister,  my  situation,  as  affected 
by  the  insufficiency  of  the  annual  stipend  received  from  this 
society.  I  regretted  that  I  was  obliged  to  call  their  attention 
to  this  subject,  when  I  could  not  but  presume  they  were 
generally  well  acquainted  with  the  expensiveness  of  living  in 
this  place. 

My  letter,  as  I  was  informed,  was  communicated  to  the 
society  at  their  meeting  on  the  23d  of  Jany  1797.  They  voted 
Sixty  pounds  to  be  paid  to  me,  in  consideration  of  the  en- 
hanced price  of  provisions,   and  postponed  the   consideration 


channing's  ministry.  277 

of  my  letter,  to  the  annual  meeting  in  April  following,  re- 
questing the  standing  committee,  in  the  meantime,  to  con- 
fer with  me  on  the  subject.  At  their  annual  meeting  April 
16,  1798,  they  voted  Fifty  pounds  for  the  purpose  specified 
in  the  former  grant.  Since  conferring  with  the  committee  in. 
'97,  I  have  had  no  communication  from  the  society  on  the 
subject. 

Considering  that,  in  my  letter,  I  had  not  cast  myself  upon 
the  charity  of  the  society,  but,  on  the  contrary,  frankly  sta- 
ted that  my  own  property  had  been  my  resource,  and,  from 
the  whole  tenour  of  my  letter,  appealing  to  the  principles  of 
equity  alone,  I  flattered  myself  that  with  the  same  frankness 
they  would  have  met  me  on  the  fair  and  honorable  ground 
of  justice.  Conceiving  that  a  Minister  possesses  all  the  rights 
of  a  man,  I  expressly  denied  'any  obligation  as  a  Minister, 
to  devote  a  larger  portion  of  my  interest  to  the  support 
of  the  ministry  here,  than  any  other  friend  to  Religion  and 
the  Society.'  Professing  a  'solicitude  for  the  peace  and  wel- 
fare of  the  congregation,'  I  added,  'To  these  considerations 
I  have  already  made  great  sacrifices;  but  it  would  be  unrea- 
sonable to  expect  or  require  that  I  should  continue  to  make 
them.' 

After  this  communication,  in  which,  with  unequivocal  ex- 
pressions of  my  own  views  of  the  subject,  are  united  the 
professions  of  sincere  attachment  to  the  Society,  it  was  with 
astonishment  and  deep  sensibility  I  observed  year  after  year 
to  pass  without  any  communication  in  reply. 

The  insufficient  compensation  received,  soon  gave  place  in 
my  feelings  to  the  indelicacy  manifested  in  the  silence  and 
neglect  with  which  I  was  treated.  This  for  a  succession  of 
years  has  multiplied  my  wounds. 

Upon  expressing  my  sentiments  in  conversation  with  two 
of  the  committee,  last  September  [1805]  you  suggested  that 
my  letter  was  not  designedly  neglected,  but  had  been  forgot- 
ten.    This   indeed   could   not  be   a   very  pleasant   idea   to   an 


278      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

affectionate  Minister,  but  was  the  most  favorable  the  case  ad- 
mitted. 

The  subject,  as  I  am  informed,  was  resumed  at  a  meeting 
of  the  society  Septr  21st,  1805,  which  had  been  warned  for 
another  purpose.*  I  have  waited  till  the  present  time,  hoping 
to  have  been  favored  with  a  line  from  you,  advising  me  of  the 
result;  but  none  has  been  received. 

I  learn,  that,  as  there  were  but  few  present  on  the  21st  of 
Septr.  it  was  thought  proper  to  adjourn  to  October  7th;  that, 
then,  the  same  reason  produced  another  adjournment  to  Oc- 
tober 14th,  and  that  publick  warning  was  given  of  the  ad- 
journment and  of  the  business  before  the  meeting,  that,  not- 
withstanding the  notice  given,  there  were  only  between  twen- 
ty and  thirty  present  at  the  last  mentioned  meeting;  that  as 
so  small  a  part  of  the  Society  were  present,  it  was  thought  ex- 
pedient and  voted  to  postpone  the  consideration  of  the  subject 
to  the  annual  meeting  in  April  next. 

This  postponement  was,  unquestionably,  the  only  step  which 
could  with  propriety  be  taken  by  the  small  number  present- 
But,  gentlemen,  the  absence  of  so  large  a  portion  of  the  par- 
ish, when  called  upon  to  consider  a  subject  relating  to  their 
Minister,  which  had  long  been  treated  with  apparently  marked 
neglect,  has  excited  emotions  which  I  never  expected  to  have 
realized  in  my  connection  with  this  parish. 

I  am  now  justified  in  the  conclusion,  that  the  Society  are 
indifferent  to  my  reasonable  communications,  and  indisposed 
to  give  me  a  decent  support. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that,  when  I  addressed  to  the  Com- 
mittee my  letter  of  January  1797,  money  had  been,  for  many 
years,  depretiated  from  one  and  an  half  to  two  and  an  half 
for  one.  The  article  of  wood  I  purchased  for  the  first  win- 
ter after  my  settlement,  at  one  dollar  and  58  Cents  pr  Cord. 
It  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  four  dollars  pr.  Cord.    Pro- 


*The  meeting  was  held  with  reference  to  employing  "an  instructor  to 
teach  psalm  singing  in  the  Society  for  one  year  next  ensuing." 


channing's  ministry.  279 

visions  of  every  kind  have  also  risen  in  their  nominal  value, 
far  beyond  what  they  were  at  that  time. 

I  could  not  have  supposed  that  this  Society  would  have  suf- 
fered their  Minister  to  experience  so  serious  a  derangement 
in  his  finances,  without  producing,  on  their  part,  the  most 
dignified  and  liberal  exertions.  They  who  know  me  well, 
must  be  sensible  that  it  was  far  from  my  wishes  that  the 
parish  should  have  done  more  than  they  ought  and  could  af- 
ford with  ease. 

In  searching  after  the  motives,  which  influence  to  this  der- 
eliction of  their  Minister,  only  two  occur  to  my  mind.  The 
first  which  occurs  is,  that  I  have  a  patrimony,  and  can  make 
up  their  deficiency  from  my  own  property,  that  property  of 
which  not  one  farthing  was  acquired  from  this  parish.  But 
am  I  to  suppose  that  this  large  and  opulent  Society  would 
willingly  avail  themselves  of  their  Minister's  property,  and 
liberality,  to  make  up  their  deficiency  in  his  support?  I  con- 
fess, it  would  be  with  great  reluctance  that  I  should  attribute 
to  them  so  dishonorable  a  motive. 

As  the  only  alternative,  I  am  led  to  the  other  motive  as 
decisive  in  the  case;  which  is,  that,  although  the  scriptures 
declare  (1  Cor.  9:  14)  'Even  so  hath  the  Lord  ordained,  that 
they  who  preach  the  gospel  should  live  of  the  gospel,'  yet, 
the  services  of  the  present  Minister  do  not  entitle  him  to  a 
support.  On  this  ground,  gentlemen,  assuredly,  I  have  no  dis- 
position to  contend,  especially  when  I  consider  the  inefficiency 
of  my  labours,  within  the  last  seven  years,  to  counteract  the 
evidently  declining  state  of  religion  and  morals  in  this  place. 
Ardently  do  I  wish  this  church  and  congregation  may  obtain 
a  Minister,  whose  labours  will  be  more  successful  and  more 
meritorious. 

This  Society  can  not  be  so  unacquainted  with  me  as  to  sup- 
pose my  judgment  and  feelings  can  acquiesce  in  this  state  of 
things,  or  in  giving  them  any  further  trouble  in  this  business. 
I  now  request  you  to  inform  them,  that  it  is  my  earnest  desire 
that  no  further  proceedings  be  had  before  them  on  the  sub- 
ject matter  of  my  letter  of  January  21st,  1797;  as  the  busi- 


280      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

ness  has  already  progressed  too  far  in  a  manner,  to  me  pain- 
ful indeed. 

Wishing  you  and  them  at  all  times,  the  presence  and  guid- 
ance of  the  great  head  of  the  church, 

I  am 
With  Due  Consideration, 

Your  Friend  and  Minister, 

HENRY   CHANNING. 
Messrs.  Guy  Richards, 

George  Colfax  and  Edward  Chappell, 

Committee  of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society — New  London. 

This  was  not  a  letter  of  resignation.  But  it  fore- 
shadowed one  which  soon  followed.  It  will  not  be 
denied  that  Mr.  Channing  had  good  reasons  for 
the  keen  feelings  expressed  in  the  foregoing  com- 
munication. That  the  society  was  able  to  increase 
his  salary,  and  that  it  should  have  done  so,  were 
practically  admitted  by  votes,  from  time  to  time,  to 
grant  him  a  gratuity,  in  view  of  the  acknowledged 
insufficiency  of  his  support.  But  votes  of  this  sort 
were  not  a  definite  reply,  to  his  definite  request,  pre- 
sented in  a  dignified,  self-respecting,  business-like 
way.  Further,  the  letter  of  October,  1805,  ad- 
dressed by  the  committee  to  Mr.  Channing,  in  re- 
sponse to  his  letter  of  January  21,  1797,  had  not 
been  presented  to  him  when  he  wrote  the  letter 
quoted  above.  Certainly  the  neglect  of  silence, 
shown  to  so  vital  and  important  a  request  could 
not  but  wound  a  sensitive  spirit.  That  Mr.  Chan- 
ning was  deeply  wounded  his  letter  shows.  And 
the  excuse  that  his  communication  of  nine  years  be- 
fore had  been  forgotten  could  not  lessen  the  pain 
felt  at  the  neglect. 


channing's  ministry.  281 

Such  treatment,  from  such  men  as  those  whose 
names  appear,  can  be  explained  in  no  way,  but  by 
a  growing  indifference  to  reUgion  and  its  ordinances, 
begotten  by  his  negative  preaching;  or  by  a  grow- 
ing dissatisfaction  with  the  pastor's  views ;  or  by 
both.  His  preaching,  as  his  letter  admits,  had 
failed  for  the  last  seven  years,  to  influence  men. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  if  he  had  continued  to 
have  the  same  evangelical  spirit  which  he  had  on 
coming  here,  the  result  would  have  been  different. 
In  stating  the  reasons  for  the  treatment  which  he 
had  received  he  missed  the  vital  one — his  own  lack 
of  definite  convictions,  and  failure  to  present  the 
positive  evangelical  doctrines. 

And  this  brings  us  to  the  second  cause  leading 
to  his  dismissal.  Matters  came  to  a  climax  in  the 
council  at  Mansfield  in  October,  1805.  It  seems 
altogether  probable  that,  if  the  Mansfield  incident 
had  not  occurred,  the  salary  question  would  not 
have  resulted  in  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  rela- 
tions. Mr.  Channing  was  moderator  of  the  Mans- 
field council.  While  acting  in  this  capacity,  he  so 
conducted  himself  as  an  advocate  on  behalf  of  Mr. 
Sherman  that  the  Association  of  New  London 
County  passed  and  placed  on  record  resolutions  de- 
claring "that  they  would  not  exchange  pulpits  with 
a  man  who  denied  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  of  the 
divinity  of  Christ,  or  of  the  personality  of  the  Holy 
Spirit."  These  resolutions  were  aimed  at  Mr. 
Channing,  and  he  evidently  so  understood  them. 
The  position  in  which  they  placed  him  was  peculiar,, 


282       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

If  the  church  and  parish  were  in  sympathy  with 
the  action  taken  by  the  Association,  there  would 
be  but  one  course  open  before  him.  The  letter  of 
February  21,  1806,  may  be  regarded  as  a  test.  It 
left  the  way  open  for  him  to  resign  or  remain,  as 
the  case  might  require. 

The  letter  of  February  21,  1806,  called  forth  from 
the  society's  committee  the  following : 

New  London  Feby  27,  1806. 
Revd  and  Dear  Sir 

Your  favr  of  the  21st  Instant  addressed  to  the  Comtee  of  the 
first  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  this  Town,  was  received  by  us  a 
few  Days  since,  we  have  attended  to  the  Subject  matter  of 
the  Letter  and  shall  be  very  happy  to  have  an  interview  with 
you  at  your  House  whenever  it  shall  be  agreeable  to  you  to 
receive  us. 
We  are  with  much  respect  and  esteem 

Yr.  friends 
GUY   RICHARDS        )      o     •  f 
EDWD    CHAPPELL  \    ^^^^^^^ 
GEORGE   COLFAX     J     '-o™^^®* 

To  this  Mr.  Channing  responded  promptly,  fixing 
a  date  for  the  proposed  interview.  The  reply  is  as 
follows : 

New  London  Feby  28th,  1806. 
Gentlemen: 

Your  favour  of  the  27th  Inst  is  received,  in  which  you  pro- 
pose an  interview  with  me,  whenever  it  shall  be  agreeable  to 
me  to  receive  you. 

As  I  have  ever  been  happy  in  seeing  my  friends,  it  will  be 
agreeable  to  me  to  see  you,  at  my  house,  when  it  may  be  con- 
venient to  yourselves.  If  next  Monday  evening  will  consist 
with  your  business,  I  will  remain  at  home  and  shall  be  happy 
in  waiting  on  you.  I  am 

Respectfully  Yor  St. 

HENRY  CHANNING. 
Messrs.  Guy  Richards 
Edward  Chappell 
George  Colfax 
Committee  of  First  Eccles.  Society  N.  London. 


channing's  ministry.  283 

Accordingly  the  interview  took  place  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Channing,  on  the  Monday  evening 
proposed,  which  was  March  3,  1806.  An  account  of 
it  was  given  by  Mr.  Channing  to  the  council  which 
dismissed  him,  which  was  spread  upon  the  records 
of  the  church.  It  appears  that  the  committee  apol- 
ogized for  not  writing  him  after  the  society  meeting 
the  previous  October.  The  reasons  given  were,  the 
absence  of  one  of  the  committee  at  the  General 
Assembly,  and  the  sickness  of  the  grandchild  of  an- 
other. However,  it  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  a 
letter  had  been  prepared,  which  seems  never  to 
have  been  sent  to  Mr.  Channing.  At  this  inter- 
view the  committee  told  the  pastor  that  the  society 
would,  without  doubt,  make  him  "a  grant  of  all  their 
surplus  funds  which  would  then  be  in  the  treasury, 
which  would  amount  to  about  Fifty  Pounds  Lawf 
Money."  Mr.  Channing  says :  ''I  answered  that 
money  was  now  out  of  the  question ;  the  long  con- 
tinued apathy  and  neglect  of  the  society  were  para- 
mount considerations ;  that  my  feelings  were  deeply 
wounded  by  their  conduct,  and  my  confidence  in  the 
society  destroyed ;  that  it  was  evident  our  connexion 
could  no  longer  consist  with  harmony,  peace  and 
usefulness.  I  informed  them  that  it  was  proper  I 
should  now  frankly  state,  that  my  letter  was  de- 
signed as  introductory  to  the  final  step,  and  that 
it  was  my  intention  to  write  them  before  the  annual 
meeting  in  April,  and  propose  the  dissolution  of  my 
ministerial  relation  to  this  Society."  The  commit- 
tee protested  against  this,  assuring  Mr.  Channing 


284      LATER  HISTORY   OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

that  the  step  would  give  a  serious  shock  to  the 
society;  that  the  people  were  strongly  attached  to 
him  as  their  minister,  and  that  the  harmony  of  the 
congregation  under  his  ministry  was  not  surpassed 
by  that  of  any  society  in  the  state.  Mr.  Channing 
in  reply  assured  the  committee  of  his  tender  attach- 
ment for  the  church.  He  had  entered  upon  the 
pastorate  at  a  time  when  the  society  was  in  an  un- 
settled state,  and  that  he  had  sought  to  nurse  it  ten- 
derly as  a  child.  He  further  assured  them  that  the 
proposed  step  would  cost  him  a  bitter  pang,  but  he 
was  satisfied  that  no  other  step  was  open  to  him, 
adding  that  his  "health  was  injured  to  an  alarming 
degree,  and  mutual  confidence  and  harmony  could 
not  easily  be  restored."  As  the  conference  came  to 
an  end,  the  committee  handed  to  him  the  letter  of 
October  1805,  which  he  should  have  had  five  months 
before.  It  was  evident,  after  this  interview,  that  the 
request  for  a  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation  was 
the  next  logical  step.  And  it  came  in  the  following 
letter : 

New  London  March  27  1806. 
Gentlemen: 

My  letter  of  the  21st  of  February  last,  has  brought  to  your 
recollection  the  proceedings  of  this  Society  relating  to  my  let- 
ter of  January  21st,  1797.  With  that  undisguised  frankness 
which  I  have  ever  maintained  in  my  intercourse  with  this 
people,  I  expressed  my  sentiments  and  feelings  as  affected 
by  the  inattention  and  marked  neglect  which  I  had  exper- 
ienced. 

Immediately  upon  learning  the  general  neglect  of  the  So- 
ciety to  attend  the  adjourned  meetings  in  October  last,  as 
stated   in   my   letter,   I   could   no   longer   hesitate   in   deciding 


channing's  ministry.  285 

what  I  owed  to  myself  as  the  only  surviving  parent  of  a  young 
family  and  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  who  might  be  said  to  have 
robbed  other  churches   more  necessitous,  to   do  you  service. 

The  recollection  of  past  services  revives.  The  first  and  best 
of  my  days  have  been  spent  here.  I  can  not  boast  of  great 
talents,  but  such  as  they  were,  they  have  been  devoted,  as 
far  as  a  feeble  constitution  would  permit,  to  the  spiritual  and 
temporal  interests  of  this  people.  Often  have  I  gone,  with 
my  life  in  my  hands,  to  minister  to  the  sick  and  the  dying, 
and  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted.  In  my  publick  services, 
and  in  my  private  walk,  I  have  not  veered  with  every  wind 
that  blows;  but,  having  the  truth  alone  in  view,  and  aiming 
at  the  glory  of  God  in  the  conversion  and  eternal  salvation  of 
sinful  man,  I  have  studied  to  preach  the  truth,  with  plainness 
of  speech,  not  fearing  your  censures  nor  courting  your  ap- 
plause. To  this  church  and  congregation  I  now  appeal  as 
witnesses  in  my  behalf,  while  applying  to  myself  the  words 
of  an  Apostle;  (1  Thess.  2:  4,  5)  'But  as  I  was  allowed  of  God 
to  be  put  in  trust  with  the  gospel,  even  so  I  have  spoken, 
not  as  pleasing  men,  but  God,  who  trieth  our  hearts.  For 
neither  at  any  time  used  I  flattering  words  as  ye  know,  nor 
a  cloak  of  covetousness;   God  is  witness.' 

I  have  not  been  unmindful  of  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  Acts 
.20:  24,  when  assured  that  bonds  and  afflictions  awaited  him. 
It  is  doubtless  within  the  recollection  of  many,  with  what 
evangelical  fervour  they  were  enjoined  by  my  venerable  spir- 
itual father  President  Stiles,  [of  Yale  College]  on  the  day 
of  my  ordination  in  this  Church.  Conscious  of  manifold  sins 
and  infirmities,  I  have  still  endeavored  to  keep  them  in  view, 
and,  with  the  independent  spirit  of  this  Apostle,  to  say:  'But 
none  of  these  things  move  me,  neither  count  I  my  life  dear 
unto  myself,  so  that  I  might  finish  my  course,  with  joy,  and 
the  ministry  which  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  tes- 
tify the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.' 

I  am  sensible  that  if  I  have  thus  faithfully  and  honestly  con- 
ducted, I  must  have  wounded  the  pride  of  some,  and,  prob- 
ably, excited  malevolent  feelings  towards  me.  Such  may  now 
be  gratified  by  the  step  I  am  taking. 


286      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH 

My  ministry  has  been  protracted  beyond  the  average  life 
of  Ministers,  which  has  been  correctly  estimated  at  sixteen 
years;  as  it  is  nearly  twenty  years  since  I  began  to  persuade 
this  people  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  This  period  is  beyond 
what  I  anticipated,  when  I  considered  your  feeble  and  unset- 
tled state,  at  the  time  I  received  the  charge,  also  as  the 
sickness  of  former  days  had  admonished  me  not  fo  calculace 
on  a  life  of  many  years.  Here  I  cannot  but  recollect,  with 
thanksgiving  to  God,  that  my  services  have  not  been  inter- 
rupted by  sickness,  more  than  two  or  three  days  since  my 
residence  in  this  place. 

While,  by  every  attention,  I  have  endeavored  to  cherish  mu- 
tual complacency  and  good  will,  I  have,  with  regret,  observed 
an  impregnable  barrier  in  the  narrow  selfish  feelings  which 
so  evidently  predominate.  Hence,  while  my  publick  labours, 
and  my  visits  from  house  to  house  have  left  scarcely  an  abid- 
ing impression  in  favor  of  godliness,  in  the  proceedings  of 
the  Society  I  have  experienced  cold  indifference  and  unfeeling 
neglect.  If  this  be  my  situation  at  the  present  period  of  life, 
dreary  must  be  the  prospect  of  declining  years.  Indeed  I  do 
not  expect  to  see  many  more  years,  but  I  am  convinced  from 
effects  already  produced,  that  my  health  and  life  would  be 
an  early  sacrifice  to  the  continuance  of  my  connection  with 
this  church  and  congregation. 

You  will  not  accuse  me  of  being  wanting  in  patience  and 
forbearance.  The  last  nine  years  can  not  be  easily  forgotten; 
their  testimony  is  before  you.  There  is  a  point  beyond  which, 
the  exercise  of  patience  under  injuries,  ceases  to  be  a  virtue, 
and  might  in  a  case  like  the  present,  give  countenance  to  the 
remark  of  the  enemies  of  revelation,  that  the  religion  of 
Christ  would  not  suffer  us  to  assert  our  rights,  but  required  us 
to  be  temporizing,  pusillanimous  and  submissive  to  continued 
wrongs. 

Had  I  nerves  of  iron  and  an  heart  of  adamant,  I  should' 
then  be  formed  to  regard  with  indifference  both  your  state 
and  my  own.  Possibly  you  may  think  it  your  unhappiness 
to  have  a  Minister  who  feels  too  much.     You  have  not  com- 


channing's  ministry.  287 

plained  of  his  sensibility  when  his  heart  has  melted  under 
your  sorrows;  and  can  you  ask  him  to  be  indifferent  to  his 
own?  ^ 

But  it  is  unnecessary  further  to  attempt  exciting  your  at- 
tention to  my  concerns.  After  weighing  the  subject  deliber- 
ately and  prayerfully,  the  result  is,  the  fullest  conviction, 
that,  to  retire  has  become  a  sacred  duty.  My  usefulness  and 
health  with  the  happiness  of  my  remaining  days,  and  your 
harmony  and  lasting  peace,  unite  in  urging  it.  I  therefore 
now  propose  to  this  Society,  that  the  important  relation  I 
sustain,  as  the  Minister  of  this  parish,  be  dissolved  as  soon 
after  the  expiration  of  the  current  year  of  my  ministry,  as  it 
can  be  effected. 

I  ask  to  be  favored  with  a  written  communication  in  answer 
to  this  proposal,  that  I  may  lay  it  before  the  Church  for  their 
concurrance,  and  take  the  ecclesiastical  course  usual  in  our 
Churches,  to  complete  the  dissolution. 

I  close  in  the  words  of  the  Prophet;  'I  said,  I  have  laboured 
in  vain,  I  have  spent  my  strength  for  nought,  and  in  vain;  yet 
surely  my  judgment  is  with  the  Lord,  and  my  work  with  my 
God.'  Your  Friend  and  Minister, 

HENRY  CHANNING. 
Messrs.   Guy  Richards,  Edward  Chappell,  and  George  Colfax, 
Committee  of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  New  Lon- 
don. 

This  is  a  remarkable  letter.  Its  points  of  strength, 
as  well  as  of  weakness,  are  conspicuous.  His  prov- 
ocation was  great.  However,  we  cannot  but  be- 
lieve that,  such  men,  as  those  to  whom  the  letter 
was  addressed,  felt  that  they  had  a  reason  for  the 
course  which  they  pursued.  The  society  should 
have  definitely  replied  to  his  letter  of  1797,  and  that 
too  at  once.  If  they  felt  that  they  could  not,  for  any 
reason  comply  with  the  request,  it  would  have  been 
better  to  say  so,  and  give  the  reason.     It  may  be 


:288       LATER  HISTORY   OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

that  a  regard  for  Mr.  Channing's  feelings  caused 
them  to  keep  silence.  It  is  certain  that  a  feeling  of 
indifference  prevailed.  But  this  indifference  was 
the  fruit  of  his  views  and  preaching;  a  fact  which 
he  failed  to  see.  He  did  recognize  that  there  had 
been  a  growing  separation  between  him  and  the 
people,  but  he  failed  to  see  that  the  principal  cause 
was  in  himself.  He  speaks  of  his  forbearance  and 
patience.  But  he  did  not  recognize  the  fact  that 
the  church  and  society  had  exercised  patience  with 
him  for  more  than  seventeen  years,  while  he 
preached  a  faith  alien  to  that  which  he  was  called 
and  ordained  to  preach.  Long  before  he  did  he 
should  have  taken  this  step ;  should  have  frankly 
stated  to  the  church  his  change  of  views,  and  given 
them  the  chance  to  say  whether  they  wanted  the 
views,  which  he  had  adopted  since  his  ordination, 
preached  in  their  pulpit.  If  the  society  failed  on  the 
one  hand,  he  failed  as  signally  on  the  other.  The 
passages  in  the  letter,  which  reproached  the  people, 
were  unworthy  of  the  occasion.  The  generous 
character  of  the  men,  whom  he  accused  of  narrow 
selfish  feelings,  appears  from  the  fact  that  no  reply 
was  made  to  his  severe  strictures  upon  them,  except 
to  disclaim  them  before  the  council.  They  were  al- 
lowed to  pass  in  dignified  silence,  and  were  an- 
swered in  the  gift,  noted  in  the  previous  chapter, 
which  some  of  them  made  to  him  after  his  dismis- 
sion. 

His  letter  of  resignation  left  but  one  course  open 
to  the  society,  and  it  was  promptly  taken.     At  a 


channing's  ministry.  289 

meeting-  of  that  body,  held  April  14,  eighteen  days 
after  the  letter  was  written,  "the  society  then  took 
into  consideration  the  subject  of  the  Rev'd  Mr. 
Channing's  Letters  addressed  to  their  committee  da- 
ted the  2 1  St  of  Feb'y  and  the  27th  of  March  wherein 
he  requests  a  dismission  from  this  society  as  their 
Gospel  minister,  and  thereupon  passed  the  following 
vote,  viz : 

"Whereas  the  Rev'd  Mr.  Channing  hath,  by  his  letter  of  the 
27th  of  March  A.  D.  1806  proposed  and  requested  that  his 
connection  with  this  Society  as  their  Gospel  minister  be  dis- 
solved on  the  close  of  the  present  year  of  his  ministry  ending 
the  17th  day  of  May  next;  thereupon 

Voted  that  the  connection  between  the  Rev'd  Mr.  Channing 
as  a  Gospel  minister  and  this  Society  be  considered  as  dis- 
solved from  and  after  the  17th  of  May  next;  and  that  the  Com- 
mittee communicate  the  same  to  him  in  writing." 

Voted  that  the  Society  Committee  be  requested  to  procure 
some  person  to  supply  the  pulpit,  as  occasion  may  require  and 
with  a  view  to  the  settlement  of  a  minister  in  this  parish." 

The  letter  of  resignation  was  imperative.  The 
action  of  the  society  seems  to  have  been  unanimous. 
In  compliance  with  Mr.  Channing's  request,  and 
with  the  vote,  a  written  notice  of  the  society's  action 
was  communicated  to  him  by  the  following  letter: 

"New  London,  First  Society 

April  26,  1806. 
Reverend  Sir: 

Your  letters  to  the  Society  Committee  of  the  21st  of  Feb- 
ruary and  27th  of  March  last,  were  laid  before  the  Society  at 
their  annual  meeting  on  the  14th  of  April  inst.  when  the  fol- 
lowing vote  was  passed." 


290       LATER  HISTORY   OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Then  follow  the  votes  as  given  above,  and  the  let- 
ter was  signed  by  the  committee  of  the  society  for 
that  year,  Guy  Richards,  Jedediah  Huntington, 
George  Colfax,  Edward  Chappell,  and  Jacob  Gur- 
ley.     In  reply  Mr.  Channing  wrote  as  follows  : 

New  London  April  29,  1806. 
Gentlemen: 

I  am  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  favour  of  the  26th 
Inst,  which  was  delivered  soon  after  my  arrival  from  New 
York. 

Your  letter  communicated  a  copy  of  the  vote  passed  by  the 
Society,  at  their  annual  meeting  on  the  14th  Inst,  acceding 
to  my  proposal  for  a  dissolution  of  my  relation  to  this  par- 
ish, as  their  Minister. 

As  my  dissatisfaction  arose  from  indisputable  facts,  I  am 
happy  in  observing  that  my  statement  is  acquiesced  in  as 
correct.  I  am  also  much  gratified  that  the  society  so  far  re- 
spected my  sentiments  and  feelings,  that  they  acceded  to  my 
proposal  with  so  much  unanimity.  I  shall  now  have  the  sat- 
isfaction of  reflecting,  that  I  left  them  in  harmony  and  peace, 
and  that  it  will  be  chargeable  to  themselves  alone  if  they 
suffer  feuds  and  divisions  to  prevail  among  them.  Sincerely 
do  I  pray  for  their  peace  and  prosperity,  and  that  there  may 
be  a  generation  here  to  serve  the  Lord,  so  long  as  the  sun 
and  moon  endure. 

I  shall  lead  the  Church  to  the  preparatory  steps;  and,  as  the 
seventeenth  of  May  falls  on  Saturday,  shall  endeavor  to  have 
my  relation  to  the  Church  and  congregation  dissolved  by  an 
Ecclesiastical  Council,  in  the  week  after. 

As  this  is,  probably,  the  last  written  communication  I  shall 
make  to  you,  in  your  oflacial  capacity,  I  take  this  opportunity 
to  return  my  thanks  for  every  expression  of  polite  and  friendly 


channing's  ministry.  291 

attention  received  from  you  individually  and  as  the  committee 
of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society 

With  an  affectionate  adieu  I  subscribe, 

Respectfully  Yours 

HENRY  CHANNING. 

Messrs.  Guy  Richards,  Jedediah  Huntington,  George  Colfax, 
Edward  Chappell,  and  Jacob  B.  Gurley  Committee  of  the 
First  Society,  New  London. 

The  pastor's  resignation,  and  the  society's  action 
thereon  were  communicated  to  the  church  at  a 
meeting  held  May  4,  1806,  by  Mr.  Channing  him- 
self, with  the  request  that  the  church  would  also 
consent  to  the  proposed  ''dissolution  of  the  pastoral 
relation  to  this  Church,  and  concur  with  him  m 
calling  an  Ecclesiastical  Council  for  the  purpose  to 
convene  in  this  parish  on  tuesday  the  20th  of  May 
instant."  In  obedience  to  this  request  it  was 
"Voted,  that  this  church  consent  that  the  pastoral 
relation  of  the  Rev'd  Henry  Channing  to  this 
Church  be  dissolved ;  and  that  a  Committee  be  ap- 
pointed to  concur  with  him,  in  behalf  of  this  Church 
in  calling  an  Ecclesiastical  Council  according  to  his 
request."  Deacons  Guy  Richards  and  Jedediah 
Huntington  were  chosen  as  that  committee. 

The  calling  of  the  council,  and  the  selection  of  it, 
then  as  now,  was  a  matter  in  which  the  church  took 
the  lead.  This  was  the  first  council  which  this 
church  had  ever  called  for  such  a  purpose,  and  it 
was  at  this  time  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  years 
old.  No  copy  of  the  letter  issued  is  preserved,  or 
on  record.     Nor  is  there  any  record  of  the  churches^ 


292       LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

which  it  was  voted  to  invite.  However  we  know, 
from  the  records,  what  churches  were  represented, 
and  by  what  pastors  and  delegates.  The  council 
met  in  New  London,  May  20,  1806,  "at  the  house  of 
Jedediah  Huntington  Esqr."  convened  ''by  Letters 
Missive  from  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  said 
place,  for  the  purpose  of  dissolving  the  ministerial 
relation  between  Revd  Henry  Channing  and  the 
said  church  and  society."  The  council  was  consti- 
tuted as  follows :  the  church  in  Preston,  Rev.  Levi 
Hart  D.  D.,  pastor,  and  Daniel  Morgan  Esqr.  dele- 
gate; the  church  in  East  Haddam,  Rev.  Elijah  Par- 
sons, pastor,  and  Doctor  Thomas  Mosely,  delegate ; 
the  church  in  Newport  R.  L,  Rev.  William  Patten, 
pastor,  and  Mr.  John  Mun,  delegate ;  the  Second 
Church  in  Noi-wich,  Rev.  Walter  King,  pastor,  and 
John  Lanman,  delegate;  and  the  church  in  Lym.e, 
Rev.  Lathrop  Rockwell,  pastor,  and  Deacon  John 
Griswold,  delegate.  The  council  was  organized  by 
the  choice  of  Rev.  Levi  Hart,  D.  D.  as  moderator, 
Rev.  Walter  King,  scribe,  and  Rev.  William  Pat- 
ten, assistant  scribe.  Levi  Hart  and  William  Pat- 
ten were  on  the  council  which  ordained  Mr.  Chan- 
ning. After  prayer  by  the  moderator  the  council 
proceeded  to  the  business  in  hand.  The  foregoing 
letters  were  laid  before  it.  Mr.  Channing  made  his 
statement,  quoted  above.  The  committee  also 
made  a  statement  saying  that  they  had  paid  Mr. 
Channing  in  full,  the  sum  agreed  upon,  and  dis- 
claiming the  selfishness  and  indifference  which  the 
pastor's  words  implied.  The  council,  upon  delib- 
eration arrived  at  the  following  result : 


CHANNING^S  MINISTRY.  293 

"Being  furnished  with  the  various  documents  relating  to  the 
subject  submitted  to  their  judgment,  and  having  examined 
them;  and  having  likewise  heard  and  considered  the  explan- 
atory remarks  of  Mr.  Channing  and  the  Committee;  the  Coun- 
cil, though  deeply  affected  that  they  are  under  necessity  of  de- 
ciding in  a  case  so  momentous,  and  at  the  same  time  so  af- 
flictive, have  come  to  the  following  result; 

That,  if  the  leading  members,  of  this  church  and  society 
had  paid  greater  and  more  seasonable  attention  to  the  early 
dissatisfaction  of  their  Pastor,  respecting  his  support,  and 
if  mutual  and  friendly  conference  had  taken  place  between  him 
and  them  on  the  subject,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  a 
happy  union  might  still  have  subsisted,  and  his  usefulness  and 
comfort,  and  the  religious  and  temporal  interest  of  the  Con- 
gregation been  promoted.  Though  on  this  ground  the  Coun- 
cil would  gladly  act  the  part  of  a  mediator,  and  be  instrumen- 
tal of  the  continuance  of  Mr.  Channing  in  his  pastoral  rela- 
tion; yet  from  the  progress  of  the  measures,  and  the  present 
state  of  the  case  they  are  unanimously  of  opinion  that  it  is 
expedient  the  relation  should  be  dissolved.  They  therefore 
declare,  that,  agreeably  to  the  request  of  Mr.  Channing,  and 
the  votes  of  this  church  and  society,  his  relation,  as  their 
Pastor  is  dissolved. 

They  unanimously  and  affectionately  concur  in  recommend- 
ing him  as  a  Minister  in  regular  standing  in  the  Church  of 
Christ,  and  pray  that  he  may  be  eminently  useful  and  happy. 

And  they  humbly  and  tenderly  commend  this  Church  and 
Society  to  the  Great  Shepherd;  praying  that  they  may  be 
subjects  of  his  special  care,  and  of  all  temporal  and  spiritual 
blessings,  and  especially  that  they  may  be  furnished  with  a 
Pastor  who  shall  come  to  them  in  the  fulness  of  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

Voted  as  the  result  of  Council. 

LEVI  HART,   Moderator. 

Attest.     WILLIAM   PATTEN,  Assist.   Scribe." 


294      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Thus  was  brought  to  a  close  an  unhappy  episode 
in  the  history  of  this  church.  The  real  cause  of  the 
difficulty  does  not  appear  in  the  result  of  the  coun- 
cil. But  facts  enough  have  been  brought  to  light, 
in  the  course  of  this  narrative  to  show  that  the  diffi- 
culty was  deeper  and  more  serious  than  the  question 
of  salary.  Dr.  Field  says,  ''it  seems  singular  that  he 
should  have  remained  here  twenty  years  and  not 
have  impressed  his  peculiar  views  on  the  minds  of 
any,  as  we  have  no  evidence  that  he  did.  His  pas- 
torate shows  that  a  ministry  devoted  to  preaching 
the  mere  moralities  of  life  with  negations  in  respect 
to  evangelical  doctrine,  will  have  no  strong  hold 
upon  the  people,  but  will  be  ever  growing  weaker 
and  weaker  in  its  influence." 

After  his  dismissal  Mr.  Channing  continued  to  re- 
side in  New  London  for  some  time,  after  which  he 
removed  to  New  York  to  live,  it  is  presumed,  with 
his  children.  He  was  never  settled  again.  Dr.  Mc- 
Ewen  says  that  "he  became  a  wandering  apostle  of 
the  theology  to  which  he  gave  himself  a  martyr. ' 

Two  churches  of  other  faiths  were  planted  during 
his  ministry;  the  Methodist  Church  in  1793,  and 
the  First  Baptist  in  1804.  Of  the  causes  which  led 
to  the  introduction  of  Methodism  into  the  state 
about  1789,  another  says  "our  Methodist  brethren, 
if  called  on  for  their  honest  convictions,  would  prob- 
ably assign,  first  and  mainly,  the  formalism,  the 
worldliness,  and  the  want  of  piety,  in  the  prevailing 
order,"  which  was  Congregational. 

The  first  appearance  of  Methodism  in  New  Lon- 


channing's  ministry.  295 

don  was  in  the  year  1789,  when  Jesse  Lee  came 
through  Connecticut,  and  laid  the  foundation  of 
this  order  for  the  state  and  the  whole  of  New  Eng- 
land. His  first  sermon  was  preached  at  the  court 
house  September  2.  He  was  here  again  in  1790. 
He  was  cordially  received  by  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist denomination,  of  which  there  was  no  church 
here  at  the  time.  In  1791  Bishop  Asbury  preached 
in  the  court  house.  Class  meetings  were  institu- 
ted at  the  house  of  Richard  Douglas,  who,  with  his 
wife,  was  among  the  first  converts  to  Methodism. 
The  New  London  circuit  was  instituted,  and  the 
church  constituted  in  1793.  The  first  house  of  wor- 
ship was  built  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  house 
of  the  late  Nathan  Belcher.  Methodist  street  per- 
petuates its  memory. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  was  constituted  in  Feb- 
ruary 1804,  by  about  fifty  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Waterford,  who  were  living  in  New  Lon- 
don. The  first  house  of  worship  was  on  Baptist 
rock,  about  at  the  corner  of  Pearl  and  Union  streets. 
Both  churches,  organized  during  the  pastorate  of 
Mr.  Channing,  have  been  valuable  additions  to  the 
spiritual  forces  of  the  city. 

Mrs.  Channing  died  September  6,  1798  and  left 
Mr.  Channing  with  a  young  family  to  care  for.  He 
did  not  marry  again.  Nine  children  were  born  to 
them,  four  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  They  were  as 
follows : 

Henry  Wii^iyi AM  was  born  August  5,  1788,  was 
baptized  September  21,  graduated  from  Yale  Col- 


296      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

lege  in  1807,  became  a  lawyer  in  New  York  where 
he  died  in  1866,  aged  78. 

Thomas  Shaw  was  born  October  23,  1789,  was 
baptized  December  13,  and  became  a  merchant  at 
Catskill  N.  Y. 

Mary  Ann  the  only  daughter  was  born  May  1 1, 
1791,  was  baptized  July  24,  and  died  August  2. 

Wai^tkr  McCurdy  was  born  October  27,  1792, 
was  baptized  December  16,  and  died  August   13, 

1793- 

W11.1.IAM  was  born  January  31,  1794,  was  bap- 
tized April  6,  and  became  a  physician  in  New  York, 
where  he  died  unmarried. 

Edwin  was  born  February  9,  1795,  was  bap- 
tized April  5,  and  became  a  merchant  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

John  McCurdy  was  born  January  19,  1796, 
was  baptized  April  10,  and  entered  the  United 
States  Navy.     He  died  unmarried. 

Ai^KXANDKR  STKWARTwas  born  October  3,  1797, 
was  baptized  October  8,  and  died  October  9. 

Waltkr  was  born  October  3,  1797,  was  baptized 
October  8,  and  died  October  11. 

None  of  Mr.  Channing's  descendants  remain  in 
town.  Channing  street,  which  runs  through  prop- 
erty which  he  once  owned  perpetuates  the  memory 
of  his  name. 

Here  ends  the  records  of  a  pastorate  which,  in 
some  of  its  aspects,  was  conspicuous.  It  marked 
the  beginning  of  worship  on  the  present  site.  It 
was  remarkable  for  the  men  who  were  its  chief  sup- 


channing's  ministry.  297 

porters.  It  was  noteworthy,  as  being  the  only  in- 
stance in  which  a  pastor  of  this  church  abandoned 
the  faith  which  he  was  ordained  to  preach.  It  was 
remarkable  in  the  fact  that  for  seventeen  years  its 
pastor  was  an  avowed  Unitarian,  but  did  not  win  to 
his  views,  so  far  as  is  known,  a  single  member  of 
his  church,  which  still  clung  to  the  faith  on  which 
it  was  founded  in  1642,  and  thus  showed  those  stay- 
ing qualities  which  have  always  been  peculiar  to  it. 
It  is  also  worth  noticing  that  the  church  was  not 
divided  by  the  departure  of  its  pastor,  but  still  stood 
as  a  unit,  ready  for  the  next  man. 

In  his  letter  of  resignation  he  expressed  the  con- 
viction that  his  remaining  days  on  earth  would  be 
few.  But  in  this  he  was  mistaken,  for  he  lived 
thirty-four  years  after  his  dismission  from  the 
church,  and  died  in  New  York,  August  2'j,  1840,. 
aged  eighty-one  years. 


XL 

THB   MINISTRY   OF   ABBI.   MCKWEN,    D.  D. 

October  22,  1806— September  7,  1860. 

THE   PARISH. 


At  the  meeting  of  the  parish,  at  which  Mr.  Chan- 
ning's  resignation  was  accepted,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  society's  committee  were  instructed 
to  secure  some  one  to  supply  the  pulpit  with  refer- 
ence to  permanent  settlement  as  pastor  of  the 
church.  In  obedience  to  this  instruction  the  com- 
mittee began  the  search,  which  was  soon  rewarded. 
For  July  14,  1806,  less  than  two  months  after  the 
dismissal  of  Mr.  Channing,  the  society  "Voted 
unanimously  that  this  society  do  give  Mr.  Abel  Mc- 
Ewen  a  call  to  settle  in  the  Gospel  Ministry  in  this 
Society ;  and  that  they  ofifer  him  six  hundred  and 
seventy  dollars  per  annum  as  long  as  he  shall  con- 
tinue their  minister,  together  with  the  use  of  the 
parsonage  House  and  lands  on  the  conditions  an- 
nexed to  the  Gift  of  said  House  and  Lands  by  Thos. 
Shaw  Esqr.,  the  Donor.  Voted  that  the  society 
committee  wait  on  Mr.  McEwen  with  a  copy  of  this 
vote  and  request  his  answer." 

In  the  records  of  the  church  is  the  following  en- 
try: "At  a  meeting  of  the  church,  20  July  i8o5 
Voted,  unanimously,  that  we  do  approve  of  the  min- 
isterial labors  of  Mr.  Abel  McEwen,  and  in  concur- 


mcewen's  ministry.  299 

ranee  with  the  vote  of  the  society  passed  on  the  14th 
of  this  month  do,  unanimously,  invite  him  to  a  pas- 
toral relation  with  this  church.  Voted  that  Dea- 
cons Jedediah  Huntington  and  Guy  Richards  be  a 
committee  to  make  known  these  proceedings  to  Mr. 
McEwen." 

Dr.  McEwen's  reply  to  the  joint  call  of  the  so- 
ciety and  the  church  is  as  follows  : 

To   the  First  Ecclesiastical   Society  in  New  London;   and   to 

the  Church  comprised  in  sd  Society. 

Your  concurrent  and  unanimous  invitations,  given  me  to 
settle  with  you  in  the  Gospel  Ministry,  and  in  a  pastoral  rela- 
tion with  the  church,  have  called  my  attention  to  a  subject 
serious  in  its  nature,  and  momentous  in  its  consequences. 
Sensible  that  the  apparent  will  of  providence  ascertained  from 
a  consideration  of  my  own  circumstances,  and  the  circum- 
stances of  the  Church  and  Society,  can  alone  justly  guide  me 
to  a  decision,  I  have  sought  divine  direction  and  the  advice 
of  pious  and  judicious  councillors,  while  preparing  to  make 
you  this  return.  Of  the  competency  of  the  support  which  you 
propose  for  me  you  are  the  best  judges.  Persuaded  that  your 
intentions  in  determining  it  were  generous,  I  am  willing  *o 
rest  my  hopes  in  case  of  any  unforseen  necessities,  on  the 
same  generosity  and  kindness. 

Hoping  that  the  Church  and  Society  have  formed  just  opin- 
ions of  my  theological  sentiments,  of  my  qualifications  and 
character  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  as  a  man  and  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  pastoral  charge;  relying  on  your  prayers  for  my 
faithfulness,  on  the  countenance  and  assistance  which  you 
can  afford  me  in  discharging  the  duties  of  a  clergyman  at  this 
trying  day,  and  on  your  candour  and  charity  to  forgive  the  im- 
perfections of  my  life  and  performance,  and  praying  for  the 
direction  and  support  of  divine  Grace,  I  comply  with  your  in- 
vitation. 

September  23,  1806.  ABEL  McEWEN. 


300       LATER  HISTORY   OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

On  the  seventh  of  October,  the  following  vote  was- 
passed.  ''This  society  having,  on  the  14th  day  of 
July  last  given  Mr.  Abel  McEwen  a  call  to  settle 
in  the  ministry,  and  he  having,  in  his  answer  of  the 
23rd  of  Sep'r,  complied  therewith ;  voted,  that  his 
ordination  take  place  on  Wednesday  the  22nd  of 
this  month  and  that  the  Society  Commee  make  such 
preparations  as  may  be  suitable  on  the  occasion." 
The  following  action  of  the  church  was  taken  at  a 
later  date:  ''At  a  meeting  of  the  church  12  Octa 
1806.  Mr.  Abel  McEwen  having  accepted  the  call 
of  this  church  to  enter  into  the  pastoral  relation, 
and  the  society  having  appointed  Wednesday  the 
22d  inst.  for  the  solemnization  of  his  ordination, 
Voted  that  the  ordaining  council  consist  of  the  pas- 
tor and  a  delegate  from  the  following  churches  viz :. 
the  church  in  Yale  College,  in  the  towns  of  Gosh- 
en, Norfolk  and  Lyme,  and  those  belonging  to  the 
association  in  which  this  church  is  comprised,  and 
that  the  officers  of  the  church  send  letters  of  invita- 
tion as  usual.  Voted  that  this  church  do  concur 
with  the  desire  of  our  Pastor  elect  in  the  observance 
of  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  on  the  Friday  fol- 
lowing as  preparatory  to  the  ordination."  As  the 
twelfth  was  on  Sunday,  "the  Friday  following"  was 
the  seventeenth,  when,  we  may  suppose,  the  pro- 
posed season  of  prayer  and  fasting  was  observed. 
This  was  surely  an  auspicious  beginning  of  a  pas- 
torate destined  to  be  the  longest  hitherto  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  church,  and  to  exert  a  powerful  in- 
fluence not  only  on  the  church,  but  also  on  the  en- 


mcewen's  ministry.  301 

tire  community.  It  can  not  be  doubted  that  its  suc- 
cess was  due  in  part  to  the  fact  that  it  was  thus  pre- 
faced by  prayer. 

Dr.  McEwen  had  graduated  from  Yale  College 
in  the  famous  class  of  1804,  with  the  highest  hon- 
ors. In  college  he  came  under  the  instruction  and 
influence  of  Dr.  Timothy  Dwight,  who  was  at  the 
height  of  his  power  and  fame.  Dr.  Dwight  had 
done  valiant  service  for  the  truth,  in  battling  with 
the  infidelity  which  had  flooded  the  country  after 
the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Dr.  McEwen  felt  the 
touch  of  this  great  mind,  and  it  had  a  commanding 
effect  upon  him,  which  he  took  with  him  into  his 
life-long  pastorate.  The  instruction  which  he  re- 
ceived from  this  champion  of  the  Faith  peculiarly 
fitted  him  to  correct  the  spiritual  conditions  in 
which  the  last  pastorate  had  left  the  church.  As 
has  been  said  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  with  relation 
to  the  spiritual  atmosphere  of  his  times,  so  may  it 
be  said  of  Dr.  McEwen,  that  into  the  existing  con- 
ditions in  this  church  his  preaching  came  as  a  puri- 
fying stream  from  a  divine  fountain  to  counteract 
the  scheme  of  justification  by  one's  own  virtues, 
which  had  so  long  had  the  ascendency  in  the  teach- 
ings of  this  pulpit. 

After  graduation  he  spent  two  years  in  theolog- 
ical study,  first  under  Dr.  Dwight,  and  then  under 
the  famous  Dr.  Asahel  Hooker  of  Goshen,  whose 
parsonage  was  the  theological  seminary  from  which 
a  number  of  eminent  pastors  went  into  the  ministry. 
At  the  same  time  that  he  received  the  call  of  this 


302      LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

church,  he  had  other  invitations  to  other  important 
churches.  But  Dr.  Dwight  thought  the  conditions 
of  this  church  at  that  time  demanded  such  a  man  as 
Dr.  McEwen.  Accordingly  acting  on  the  advice 
of  his  friend  and  former  instructor,  he  accepted  the 
unanimous  and  hearty  call  of  the  church  and  society. 

Upon  the  day  fixed  by  the  concurrant  votes  of 
both  bodies,  October  2.2,  1806,  the  ordination  ser- 
vices took  place.  The  following  entry  upon  the  rec- 
ords of  the  church,  relates  to  that  important  event : 

*'The  result  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Council. 

At  an  Ecclesiastical  council  convened  by  letters 
missive  at  New  London  Oct.  21st,  1806  for  the  pur- 
pose of  setting  apart  Mr.  Abel  McEwen  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry  over  the  first  chh  and  Society  in 
sd  Town, 

Present  Rev.  Messrs.  Levi  Hart  D.  D.,  [of  Gris- 
wold],  Jonath  Murdock  [of  Bozrah],  Timothy 
Dwight  D.  D.,  Joseph  Strong  [of  the  First  Church 
in  Norwich],  Samuel  Nott  [of  Franklin],  Lemuel 
Tyler  [of  Preston],  Abishai  Alden  [of  Montville], 
Salmon  Cone  [of  Colchester],  Lathrop  Rockwell 
[of  Old  Lyme],  Levi  Nelson  [of  Lisbon].  Dele- 
gates, Dea.  Andrew  Huntington  from  Second  Chh 
in  Preston,  Dea.  John  Backus  from  the  ist  chh  in 
Norwich ;  Mr.  Asa  Woodworth  from  the  chh  in 
Bozrah  ;  Dea.  Joshua  Witter  from  the  chh  in  Frank- 
lin ;  Mr.  William  Coit  from  the  2d  chh  in  Norwich ; 
Dea.  Jonah  Witter  from  the  ist  chh  in  Preston; 
Dea.  Nathaniel  Otis  from  the  chh  in  Montville ; 
Dea.  David  Kilbourne  from  the  ist  chh  in  Colches- 


mcewen's  ministry.  303 

ter;  Dea.  John  Griswold  from  the  ist  chh  in  Lyme; 
Mr.  WilHam  Adams  from  the  ist  chh  in  Lisbon. 
Mr.  Strong  was  chosen  Moderator;  Mr.  Nott 
scribe."  The  usual  papers  relating  to  the  call,  with 
Dr.  McEwen's  answer  to  it,  also  papers  relating  to 
the  candidate's  standing  as  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  and  to  his  licensure  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel, were  duly  presented,  and  declared  satisfactory. 
The  council  then  proceeded  to  examine  the  candi- 
date "in  natural,  revealed  and  experimental  religion, 
and  into  his  views  of  entering  into  the  work  of  the 
ministry."  The  examination  occupied  the  whole 
of  the  day.  The  doings  of  the  council  say  that 
"after  examination  the  council  voted  unanimous- 
ly that  they  were  satisfied  with  respect  to  his 
qualifications."  It  was  then  voted  to  proceed  to 
his  ordination  the  next  day.  Wednesday  morning, 
October  2.2,  at  ten  o'clock,  the  council  met  for  the 
ordination  services.  These  were  held  according  to 
the  following  order :  Rev.  Lemuel  Tyler  oiTered  the 
opening  prayer.  Rev.  Timothy  Dwight,  D.  D., 
preached  the  sermon.  Rev.  Dr.  Hart  and  Rev. 
Messrs.  Murdock,  Nott  and  Rockwell  were  chosen 
to  impose  hands  in  the  solemn  act  of  ordination. 
Rev.  Jonathan  Murdock  offered  the  ordaining 
prayer.  Rev.  Joseph  Strong  gave  the  charge  to 
the  pastor.  Rev.  Salmon  Cone  gave  the  right  hand 
of  fellowship.  Rev.  Abishai  Alden  offered  the  con- 
cluding prayer.  Dr.  McEwen  was  now  the  duly 
constituted  pastor  of  the  church,  in  which  office 
he  was  to  remain,  as  pastor,  or  pastor  emeritus,  until 
his  death. 


304      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

January  21,  1807,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
Battelle  of  Torringford.  Dr.  Noah  Porter  says, 
"Dr.  McEwen  was  honored  and  happy  in  his  domes- 
tic relations."  He  doubtless  took  his  bride  to  the 
parsonage  on  Main  street,  for  its  use  was  voted  to 
him  in  the  call ;  and  at  a  parish  meeting  held  April 
18,  1808,  the  committee  of  the  society  were  "em- 
powered and  directed  to  lease  to  the  Rev.  Abel  Mc- 
Ewen, their  ordained  minister,  the  Parsonage  house 
lands  and  appurtenances  agreeable  to  the  di- 
rections of  Mr.  Thomas  Shaw  in  his  deed  or  deeds 
of  donation  or  devise  to  said  society."  The  house 
still  stands  on  Main  street  next  south  of  the  site  for- 
merly occupied  by  the  dwelling  of  Governor  Salton- 
stall.  Dr.  McEwen  lived 'here  till  about  1834,  when 
he  bought  the  house  now  occupied  by  Dr.  Braman, 
where  he  lived  till  his  death  in  i860. 

April  18,  1808  the  parish  passed  a  vote  looking 
towards  the  accumulation  of  a  fund  for  the  support 
of  the  gospel  ministry  in  this  society.  It  reads  as 
follows :  "Voted  that  all  future  appropriations  and 
subscriptions  for  a  fund  for  the  support  of  the  gos- 
pel ministry  in  this  society  be  accepted  and  appro- 
priated as  a  fund  for  the  support  of  the  gospel  min- 
istry in  this  society,  and  further  that  the  annual  in- 
terest of  the  same  be  hereby  appropriated  as  an  in- 
crease and  addition  to  sd  fund  and  become  a  part 
of  the  same  until  this  society  shall  vote  to  apply  the 
interest  thereafter  to  accrue  to  the  support  of  the 
•ministry  aforsd."  April  23,  1810,  it  was  "voted 
that  in  the  future  whenever  there  shall  be  a  surplus 


mcewen's  ministry.  305 

in  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer  either  from  sales  of 
pews,  donations  or  otherwise,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the  Treasurer,  under  the  direction  of  the  societies 
committee  to  subscribe  the  same  from  time  to  time 
to  some  Bank  in  this  State  to  become  a  permanent 
fund  towards  the  support  of  the  ministry  of  said  so- 
ciety." As  this  vote  was  "rescinded  and  made  of 
no  effect,"  by  vote  of  the  society  April  22,  1811,  it 
appears  that  the  efifort  to  create  a  fund  for  the  pur- 
pose named  did  not  meet  with  success. 

April  24,  1809,  it  was  'Voted  to  add  to  Mr.  Mc- 
Ewen's  salary  the  sum  of  Two  hundred  dollars, 
making  the  same  Eight  hundred  and  Seventy  Dol- 
lars, exclusive  of  the  Parsonage  house  and  lands." 
The  value  of  the  house  and  lands  was  estimated  at 
a  sum  which  made  Dr.  McEwen's  salary  one  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year — the  amount  at  which  it  re- 
mained throughout  his  pastorate. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  sale  of  the  pews  in 
1807,  the  year  following  Dr.  McEwen's  ordination 
realized  nearly  a  hundred  pounds  more  than  in  1806. 
The  amounts  received  in  pew-rentals  during  his 
ministry  varied  from  $843.15  in  1808  to  $1898.00  in 
1854.  It  will  be  interesting  also  to  note  who  were 
some  of  the  pew  holders  in  1806,  when  Dr.  McEwen 
was  called.  Winthrop  Saltonstall,  Nathaniel  Rich- 
ards, Jacob  B.  Gurley,  George  Colfax,  Jonathan 
Brooks,  George  Chapman,  Samuel  Belden,  Guy 
Richards,  Elias  Perkins,  Nathaniel  Otis,  Chester 
Kimball,  Samuel  Chancy,  Amasa  Learned,  William 
Tate,  Lyman  Law,  Charles  Bulkeley,  Samuel  Hurl- 


306      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

but,  William  Richards,  Jedediah  Huntington,  Ed- 
ward Chappell,  Thaddeus  Brooks,  Peter  Richards, 
John  Way,  Marvin  Wait  and  others.  The  receipts 
from  the  sale  of  pews  in  the  year  referred  to  were 
£222-19-6  and  the  price  of  pews  ranged  from  three 
shillings  to  nine  pounds. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  society  held  April  21,  1817, 
it  was  "voted  that  Jacob  B.  Gurley,  Esqr.  Elias  Per- 
kins, Esqr.  and  William  P.  Cleveland  Esqr.,  be  ap- 
pointed a  committee  and  agents  for  this  society,  for 
obtaining  from  the  Secretary  of  this  state  their  pro- 
portion of  the  sum  appropriated  by  the  legislature 
at  their  last  sessions  to  the  societies  of  this  denom- 
ination." The  following  facts  concerning  this 
money  were  obtained  from  the  secretary  of  state : 

''The  records  of  the  doings  of  the  Legislature 
show  that  at  the  October  session  of  1816,  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  passed  'An  Act  for  the  Support  of 
Literature  and  Religion,'  by  which  'the  Balance  due 
to  this  State  from  the  United  States  on  account  of 
advancements  made  by  this  State  for  general  de- 
fence during  the  late  war  (1812)  when  received  was 
to  be  appropriated  for  the  support  of  Religion  and 
Literature  in  this  State.'  It  was  further  provided 
that  'one  third  part  of  what  shall  be  received  be  ap- 
propriated for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian or  Congregational  denomination  of  Christians, 
to  be  by  them  applied  for  the  support  of  the  Gospel 
in  their  respective  societies  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  their  lists  which  shall  then  have  been  last 
perfected.'    At  the  May  session  of  1817  it  was  voted, 


mcewen's  ministry.  307 

in  an  Act  in  addition  tO'  the  above,  that  the  Com- 
mittees of  the  several  Presbyterian  or  Congregation- 
al societies  should  make  up  and  transmit  to  the 
State  Treasurer  by  October  i,  following,  the  lists 
and  ratable  estate  of  said  societies,  and  that  no  pay- 
ment to  said  Presbyterian  or  Congregational  socie- 
ties should  be  made  until  the  rising  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  October  of  that  year."  The  money 
was  collected  from  the  United  States.  The  com- 
mittee of  this  society,  named  above,  were  appointed 
to  comply  with  the  provisions  of  the  act  and  secure 
the  sum  .apportioned  to  it  according  to  its  lists.  No 
record  of  the  fact  appears  on  the  books  of  the  so- 
ciety, but  doubtless  the  money  was  obtained,  and 
the  treasury  of  the  society  was  thus  replenished.  It 
was  further  strengthened  by  a  legacy  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars  left  to  the  parish  by  Mrs.  Harriett 
Lewis.  March  22,  1819,  it  was  voted,  "that  this 
society  with  grateful  and  affectionate  remembrance 
accept  the  legacy  of  One  Thousand  dollars,  be- 
queathed by  Mrs.  Harriett  Lewis  in  her  last  will 
and  Testament,  and  that  Wm.  P.  Cleveland  and 
Peter  Richards  be  a  committee  to  carry  into  effect 
the  intention  of  the  Testatrix." 

The  meeting-house  had  now  been  in  use  almost 
thirty  years,  and  was  in  need  of  repairs.  April  17, 
181 5  the  society  committee  were  "instructed  to  ex- 
amine into  the  State  of  the  Church,  and  make  such 
repairs  in  the  Steeple,  and  other  parts  of  the  same, 
as  may  be  necessary  for  its  security  and  preserva- 
tion."    The  paper  drawn  up  for  subscriptions  to- 


308      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

wards  the  needed  repairs  on  the  meeting-house  is 
in  existence.  The  sums  subscribed  ranged  from 
one  dollar  to  three  hundred  dollars,  and  amounted 
to  $1212.50  Appended  to  the  list  of  donors  is  this : 
"the  above  and  foregoing  subscription  was  rec'd 
from  each  of  the  subscribers  as  set  to  their  names 
respectively,  and  appropriated  by  the  society's  com- 
mittee for  years  1816  and  181 7  in  repairs  of  the 
Meeting  House,  making  fence  round  the  House  etc., 
etc.,  as  per  the  accounts  on  file,  in  the  hands  of  the 
society  clerk."  April  2'j,  1818  it  was  "voted  that 
the  Society  Committee  be  authorized  to  build  a 
fence  before  the  Meeting  House  yard,  of  such  ma- 
terials, and  in  such  manner,  as  they  may  judge  prop- 
er for  the  best  interest  of  the  society  and  make  such 
other  repairs  as  they  may  think  necessary." 

In  1828  the  house  of  worship  again  needed  repairs 
and  a  subscription  was  made  for  that  purpose. 
There  were  twenty-two  subscribers  of  sums  from 
five  to  fifteen  dollars ;  in  all  amounting  to  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-nine  dollars.  These  sums  were 
used  for  the  purpose  specified,  and  the  account  set- 
tled January  31,  1829. 

April  18,  1808  the  following  vote  was  passed, 
"Voted  that  the  societies  Committee  be  authorized 
and  empowered  to  purchase  for  the  benefit  of  this 
Society  an  house  if  they  think  proper,  provided  the 
same  do  not  exceed  the  sum  of  five  hundred  Dollars, 
to  be  owned  by  the  Society,  etc."  This  was  the 
sexton's  house,  and  it  stood  on  the  lower  corner 
of  the  lot  on  which  the  present  Parish  House 
stands. 


INTERIOR  OF  THE  OLD  CONFERENCE  OR  SESSIONS  HOUSE. 


mcewen's  ministry.  309 

Early  in  the  ministry  of  Dr.  McEwen  weekly 
meetings  for  conference  and  prayer  began  to  be 
held.  At  first  they  were  held  from  house  to  house, 
as  there  was  no  building  for  that  purpose.  Early 
in  1819  the  necessity  for  such  a  structure  was  so 
strongly  felt  that  a  movement  was  begun,  which 
was  carried  out,  for  the  erection  of  what  was  called 
a  ''Sessions  House."  The  first  step  taken  was  a 
subscription  for  the  erection  of  such  a  building. 
Then  the  following  vote  was  passed  January  5,  1819 ; 
"Whereas  a  subscription  to  build  a  Session  House 
for  this  society  has  been  effected ;  Voted  that  said 
house  be  erected  and  built  on  this  Society's  Land 
Southerly  of  the  Sexton  House,  and  that  a  Com- 
mittee be  appointed  to  effect  the  same."  Chester 
Kimball,  Frederick  Miner,  and  Benjamin  Brown 
were  chosen  as  that  committee.  The  subscriptions 
for  the  erection  of  this  building  ranged  from  one 
dollar  to  ninety-five  dollars,  and  altogether  amount- 
ed to  eight  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  was  a  donation  of  three  hundred  dol- 
lars from  the  estate  of  Mrs.  Harriett  Lewis,  and  two 
dollars  for  dirt  sold  to  Chester  Kimball.  The 
total  receipts  were  $1,108.35.  The  entire  cost 
of  the  Session  House  was  $1,166.74,  leaving  a 
small  balance.  The  house  seems  to  have  been 
built  by  C.  Brown  and  E.  S.  Babcock,  whose 
bill  was  eight  hundred  and  fifty-two  dollars  and 
ninety-five  cents.  It  stood  on  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  Parish  House.  March  22,  1819  it  was  voted 
to  suspend,  for  the  present,  ''the  further  consider- 


310      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

ation  of  blinds  for  the  Sessions  House."  In  order 
to  build  this  structure  it  was  necessary  to  acquire 
a  little  more  land.  So  the  society  voted  to  ''accept 
the  exchange  of  land  made  with  Chester  Kimball," 
who  lived  in  the  house  just  south  of  the  Parish 
House.  July  30  of  the  same  year  it  was  "Voted 
that  license  be  granted  to  the  Teachers  of  the  Sun- 
day Schools  to  meet  at  the  Sessions  House  untill 
the  annual  meeting  in  April  next,  unless  the  Society 
or  their  Committee,  should  think  proper  to  deny 
them  the  privilege,  previous  to  that  time."  Then 
the  building  was  at  this  time  completed  and  ready 
for  use.  It  served  the  church  more  than  fifty  years, 
until  the  present  Parish  House  was  built.  It  still 
stands,  as  a  dwelling  house,  and  is  No.  11  Church 
street. 

The  method  of  heating  in  those  days  was  by  a 
stove  in  which  wood  was  burned.  The  unsightly 
stove-pipe,  straggling  through  the  church  from  the 
stove  to  the  chimney,  adorned  at  intervals  with  ba- 
sins to  catch  the  drippings  of  creosote,  was  a  sight 
which  greeted  the  eyes  of  the  worshiper,  as  he  took 
his  seat  in  the  house  of  God  on  Sunday  morning. 
Nor  was  the  heat  thus  generated  always  a  sufficient 
antidote  to  the  extreme  cold.  However,  the  Ses- 
sions House  was  warmed  by  a  large  square  box 
stove,  whose  capacity  for  heating  was  surprising. 

Several  matters  which  are  now  considered  within 
the  province  of  the  church  to  decide,  were  settled 
by  vote  of  the  parish  in  the  period  now  under  re- 
view.    It  is  generally  agreed  now  that  the  church 


mcewen's  ministry.  311 

has  the  exclusive  control  of  the  services  of  the  house 
of  God,  such  as  taking  the  initiative  in  the  calling 
of  a  pastor,  the  supply  of  the  vacant  pulpit,  the  fix- 
ing of  the  times  and  order  of  public  service  etc. 
But  at  a  meeting  of  the  society  held  April  14,  1823, 
it  was  "voted  that  the  service  in  the  afternoon  from 
the  first  Sabbath  in  May  to  the  first  Sabbath  in  Oc- 
tober, both  inclusive,  commence  at  half  past  two 
o'clock."  April  8,  1822  the  society  "voted  that  the 
contribution  at  the  close  of  the  service  on  Sabbath 
Afternoon  be  henceforth  discontinued."  It  will  be 
remembered  that  similar  votes  were  taken  by  the 
same  body,  during  the  previous  pastorate. 

Provision  for  singing,  as  a  part  of  the  service  of 
the  house  of  God,  engaged  the  attention  of  the  so- 
ciety from  time  to  time.  Early  in  1807  it  had  been 
proposed  to  the  church  that  "Dwight's  Psalm 
Book"  be  introduced  into  public  worship.  Febru- 
ary 18  "it  being  suggested  that  the  church  were 
probably  ready  to  express  their  mind  by  vote;  the 
question  was  put,  shall  Dwight's  Psalm  Book  be 
used  by  this  chh  in  their  public  worship?  Voted 
in  the  affirmative."  April  14  the  society,  at  its  an- 
nual meeting  "Voted,  that  this  Society  introduce, 
in  public  worship  Doctor  Dwight's  Psalms  and 
Hymns."  It  was  also  voted  that  a  collection  be 
made  each  Sunday  for  the  support  of  psalm  sing- 
ing. Bearing  upon  this  same  question  was  the  vote 
of  November  13,  1848,  when  the  society  voted  that 
it  was  "advisable  to  substitute  the  collection  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  recently  compiled  by  a  commit- 


312      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

tee  appointed  by  the  general  association  of  this 
state,  to  be  used  by  the  congregation  instead  of  the 
one  now  in  use."  The  committee  were  instructed 
to  carry  this  vote  into  effect  as  soon  as  could  con- 
veniently be  done. 

Clearly  the  congregations  of  those  days  were  ac- 
customed to  join  in  the  worship  of  song  in  the  house 
of  God.  The  people  were  led  in  this  service,  usually 
by  a  large  choir,  directed  by  a  trained  and  compe- 
tent leader.  Thus  April  i8,  1808,  it  was  "Voted  that 
this  society,  feeling  grateful  to  Majr.  John  P.  Trott. 
for  his  readiness  in  leading  the  singing  in  this  so- 
ciety, they  render  him  their  public  thanks  and  vote 
him  the  use  of  pew  No.  38  for  the  ensuing  year." 
Ten  years  later  it  was  "voted  that  the  thanks  of  this 
society  be  given  to  Col.  William  Belcher  for  his 
past  services  as  chorister  to  the  choir  of  singers,  and 
that  the  amount  paid  by  him  for  his  Pew  the  last 
year  be  returned  him."  It  was  voted,  April  12, 
1824,  "that  this  Society  Consent  that  an  Organ  be 
erected  and  placed  in  the  Meeting  House  free  of  ex- 
pense to  the  Society."  A  "subscription  for  the  Or- 
gan of  the  ist  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  the  town  of 
New  London,  July  26,  1824,  also  for  singing 
school,"  was  made.  The  sums  subscribed  amount- 
ed to  $793.35.  The  money  was  "appropriated  by 
Robert  Coit  in  paying  for  an  Organ  and  for  sing- 
ing as  per  acct  on  file  settled  April  1825." 

Another  item  or  two  which  relate  to  the  finances 
of  the  society  may  be  mentioned  here.  In  1823  the 
society's  committee  were  instructed  "to  close  the 


mcewen's  ministry.  313 

settlement  of  all  the  old  notes  now  due,"  by  such 
method  as  their  discretion  should  direct,  and  at  the 
end  of  three  months  to  burn  such  as  could  not  be 
collected.  This  matter  was  attended  to,  and  fifteen 
notes  were  destroyed  April  7,  1824.  These  notes 
were  for  sums  ranging  from  fifty  cents  to  $10.74. 
They  had  been  given  at  various  dates  since  1807, 
and  all  amounted  to  $46.05.  In  1827  a  subscrip- 
tion was  made  to  pay  a  debt  of  the  society,  which 
had  accumulated  to  the  amount  of  $130.  A  few 
years  before  a  debt  amounting  to  $506  had  been  paid 
in  a  similar  way.  Parish  deficiencies  are  not  a  mod- 
ern invention,  nor  has  any  better  way,  than  that  of 
the  fathers,  been  found  to  pay  them. 

At  different  periods  of  the  history  of  the  church, 
the  meeting-house  question  became  a  pressing  one. 
If  we  count  the  "Barn  Meeting  House"  as  the  first 
the  present  noble  granite  structure  is  the  sixth 
which  this  church  has  had. 

Not  a  few  now  living  can  remember  the  queer  old 
square  pews,  in  the  former  house,  in  which  the  con- 
gregation used  to  be  seated.  The  seats  were  011 
three  sides  of  the  enclosure,  so  that  part  of  the  con- 
gregation were  obliged  to  sit  with  their  backs  to 
the  pulpit.  September  26,  1788  it  had  been  "voted 
that  the  pews,"  in  the  Channing  meeting-house,  "be 
made  square."  February  19,  1816,  at  a  legally 
warned  meeting  of  the  society,  the  question  of  al- 
tering the  pews  into  slips  was  considered,  and  it  was 
"Voted  that  they  would  not  have  such  alteration." 
This  matter  was  not  brought  up  again  till  May  3, 


314      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

183 1,  when  it  was  voted  first  "that  the  committee 
procure  a  new  bell  for  the  Meeting  House  and  have 
the  Organ  repaired,"  and  secondly  "that  the  Com- 
mittee be  requested  to  form  a  plan  and  estimate  the 
expense,  of  altering  the  middle  Pews  into  Slips,  and 
report  to  an  extra  or  the  annual  meeting,  at  their 
discretion." 

With  regard  to  the  bell  which  the  committee  were 
instructed  to  procure,  it  may  be  said  here,  that  it 
served  the  society,  in  calling  people  to  the  house 
of  God,  for  forty-five  years,  when  it  became  cracked, 
and  was  replaced  by  the  present  bell  in  April,  1876. 
The  bell  now  in  use  is,  therefore,  the  fifth  which 
the  society  has  owned. 

As  to  the  question  of  altering  the  pews  into  slips, 
the  committee,  for  some  reason,  seem  to  have  gone 
beyond  their  instructions,  and  reported  in  favor  of 
a  new  meeting-house.  For  May  6,  1833,  the  society 
"voted  that  the  report  presented  at  this  meeting 
from  the  Committee  proposing  a  new  Meeting 
House,  lye  on  the  table."  The  treasurer  was  in- 
structed to  effect  insurance  upon  the  meeting-house 
for  the  sum  of  $5,000,  the  amount  for  which  it  had 
previously  been  insured.  March  6,  1834,  at  a  spec- 
ial meeting  of  the  society,  the  committee  were  in- 
structed to  examine  the  meeting-house,  and  ascer- 
tain whether  any  repairs  were  necessary,  and  if  so 
what,  and  the  probable  expense,  and  report  their 
opinion  at  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  society. 
April  28  the  committee  reported  "that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  repair  the  Roof  of  the  house,  and  they  are 


mcewen's  ministry.  315 

also  of  opinion  that  something  should  be  done  to 
strengthen  the  frame  of  the  house ;  that  the  prob- 
able expense  of  covering  the  roof,  of  strengthening 
the  house,  and  plastering  the  same  anew,  will  be 
one  thousand  dollars."  This  report  was  signed  by 
the  committee,  who  were  Ralph  Stoddard,  William 
P.  Cleveland  Jr.,  and  Daniel  B.  Hempstead.  The 
report  was  accepted,  and  the  committee  were  in- 
structed "to  repair  the  Meeting  House  in  such  man- 
ner as  they  think  necessary."  The  project  of  a  new 
house  of  worship  was  left  upon  the  table  for  fourteen 
years.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  refusal  of  the  so- 
ciety to  build  at  this  time  was  one  of  the  causes 
which  led  to  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship  for 
a  second  Ecclesiastical  Congregational  Society. 
Such  a  house  was  built,  as  appears  from  the  rec- 
ords of  this  society.  For  at  the  special  meeting 
March  6,  1834,  referred  to  above,  Mr.  Ezra  Chappell 
presented  the  following : 

"To  the  Committee  of  the  1st  Ecclesiastical  society  in  New 
London; 

I  am  authorized  by  the  builders  and  owners  of  the  new 
Congregational  Church  in  this  city,  to  offer  the  New  House 
now  nearly  completed  to  your  society  for  such  term  of  time 
as  may  be  required  by  you  to  alter,  fix,  or  rebuild  your  House; 
and  for  the  use  of  said  House,  the  new  society,  or  owners, 
of  sd  new  House,  will  take  for  the  use  thereof,  such  sum  or 
sums,  as  the  slips  may  sell  for  during  one  year,  or  for  the 
time  your  Society  may  need  said  slips  or  house. 

New  London  Feby  24,  1834. 

EZRA  CHAPPELL. 


316      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

The  society  voted  ''we  do  not  judge  it  expedient 
at  this  time  to  accept  said  proposition."  The  new 
meeting-house  of  the  Second  Ecclesiastical  Society 
was  completed  August  3,  1834,  and  dedicated  April 
2.2  of  the  following  year.  Notwithstanding  the  vote 
declining  the  offer,  this  society  appears  to  have  oc- 
cupied it  during  the  repairing  of  its  own  house.  For 
an  historical  sketch  of  the  Second  Church  says  that 
''during  the  repairs  of  the  First  Church  the  mother 
worshipped  for  six  months  in  her  daughter's  new 
house."  Six  months  from  August  3,  1834  would 
bring  us  to  February  3,  1835.  During  this  time  the 
repairs  were  made.  For  April  20,  1835,  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  committee  was  passed,  "for  their  faith- 
ful and  satisfactory  performance  of  their  trust  as 
committee  men  in  the  late  extensive  repairs,  made 
on  the  Meeting  House." 

The  question  of  a  new  house  of  worship,  which 
had  been  tabled  in  1833,  was  taken  from  it,  for  fur- 
ther consideration  in  1847.  Fo^  ^t  a  meeting  held 
on  the  sixth  day  of  September,  of  that  year  it  was 
"voted  that  Ezra  Chappell  and  Edward  H.  Learned 
be,  and  they  are  hereby  appointed  a  committee  to 
obtain  subscriptions,  to  defray  the  expense  of  erect- 
ing a  new  Meeting  House  for  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Society  in  New  London."  These  subscrip- 
tions were  to  be  binding  after  eighteen  thousand 
dollars  had  been  subscribed.  It  was  afterwards 
provided  that  the  amount  must  be  secured  prior  to 
the  first  day  of  February  1848.  It  seems  that  at 
this  time  it  was  not  the  purpose  to  approach  the 


flEETINQ  HOUSE  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH  OP  CHRIST. 


mcewen's  ministry.  317 

new  structure  from  State  street.  For  it  was  voted 
September  6,  1847  "that  the  Society's  Committee  be 
directed  to  open  a  passage  way  to  said  meeting 
house  from  Union  street,  on  the  northerly  part  of 
said  lot."  At  a  meeting  of  the  society  held  Decem- 
ber 13,  1847,  Elias  Perkins,  Mark  Edgar,  and  Jos- 
eph Lawrence,  were  ''appointed  a  committee  to 
make  inquiry  in  reference  to  the  expense  of  build- 
ing a  meeting  house  with  stone  or  brick,  and  report 
to  the  next  meeting."  The  next  meeting  was  held 
February  14,  1848,  at  which  Ezra  Chappell  reported 
that  the  subscription  which  he,  with  Edward  H. 
Learned  had  been  appointed  to  obtain  amounted 
to  more  that  eighteen  thousand  dollars  on  the  first 
day  of  February.  The  subscriptions  were,  there- 
fore binding.  "Whereupon  it  was  Voted  to  accept 
from  each  individual  subscriber  the  sum  by  him  or 
her  subscribed  to  build  sd  new  house."  It  was  also 
voted  to  appoint  Asa  Otis  and  Ebenezer  Learned 
"a  committee  to  obtain  the  notes  of  said  subscribers, 
to  be  dated  the  first  day  of  March  next  payable 
at  one  of  the  Banks  in  this  city  at  the  end  of 
sixty  days  from  date."  This  committee,  like  all 
others  concerned  in  the  erection  of  this  house  of 
worship,  were  to  receive  no  remuneration  for  their 
services.  The  committee  appointed  to  enquire  as  to 
the  material  also  reported,  and  their  report  was  ac- 
cepted. The  substance  of  their  report  is  not  given, 
but  future  votes  indicate  that  they  recommended  the 
erection  of  a  granite  structure. 

The  new  church  building  was  now  assured.     For 


318       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

April  25,  1848,  it  was  voted  that,  whereas  the  inter- 
ests of  the  society  required  it,  and  whereas  over 
eighteen  thousand  dollars  had  been  subscribed, 
"this  society  will  build  a  new  meeting  house."  Mr. 
Ebenezer  Learned  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the 
subscription  fund,  which  he  was  to  pay  out  upon  the 
written  order  of  the  building  committee,  who  were 
Andrew  M.  Frink,  Sidney  Miner,  and  Nathaniel 
Shaw  Perkins,  Jr.  Full  power  was  given  to  this 
committee  ''to  determine  upon  the  size,  plan,  and 
construction  of  said  meeting  house,  and  to  bind  this 
society,  in  relation  thereto,  for  the  payment  of  the 
same,"  and  in  every  legal  way  to  act  for  the  society, 
''provided  they  do  not  exceed  the  amount  of  the 
subscription."  The  subscriptions  were  to  be  paid 
to  Asa  Otis,  and  by  him  to  Ebenezer  Learned,  in 
four  equal  payments,  namely  on  the  first  days  of 
June,  August,  October,  and  December,  1848,  with 
interest  from  the  first  day  of  June.  In  1848  and 
1849  the  pews  were  sold  in  the  old  house  with  the 
provision,  "that  no  purchaser  of  a  pew  for  the  ensu- 
ing year  shall  be  holden  to  pay  for  the  same  any 
longer  than  the  meeting  house  shall  be  used  during 
the  year  for  public  worship." 

The  steps  of  progress  seem  to  have  been  rather 
slow.  But  a  decisive  point  was  reached  August  21, 
1849,  when  the  building  committee  were  "author- 
ized to  dispose  of  the  real  estate  belonging  to  said 
society  on  Main  street  known  as  the  Parsonage 
House  and  Lot  on  such  terms  as  they  may  deem 
advisable  and  for  the  interests  of  said  society." 


mcewen's  ministry.  319 

Between  the  Channing  meeting-house  and  what 
is  now  called  State  street,  stood  the  house  and  lot 
of  Carey  Leeds.  The  committee  were  authorized 
by  vote  of  the  same  meeting  to  purchase  this  lot, 
if  it  could  be  procured  at  a  satisfactory  price,  and  if 
the  proceeds  of  sale  of  the  Parsonage  House  and  lot 
on  Main  street,  together  with  such  sums  as  had 
been,  or  should  be,  subscribed  for  that  purpose  were 
sufficient  to  pay  for  the  same.  The  lot  was  pur- 
chased. An  entrance  to  the  new  house  was  thus 
given  from  Court  street,  as  it  was  then  called,  and 
the  entrance  on  Union  street,  as  contemplated  by  a 
previous  vote,  would  not  be  required. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  August,  1849,  it  was  voted 
"that  the  plan  of  a  new  meeting  house  presented  by 
the  building  committee  is  approved,  and  that  said 
committee  is  authorized  to  contract  for  the  immedi- 
ate construction  of  a  granite  meeting  house  in  ac- 
cordance with  such  plan,  except  for  so  much  of  the 
central  tower  and  spire,  as,  in  the  plan,  is  above  the 
floor  of  the  belfry,  provided  such  contracts  shall  not 
exceed  the  sum  of  Twenty  One  Thousand  five  hun- 
dred Dollars,  and  that  the  execution  thereof  shall 
be  secured  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Society  com- 
mittee by  bond,  or  otherwise."  At  the  same  meet- 
ing Mr.  Ebenezer  Learned  resigned  his  office  as 
treasurer  of  the  subscription  fund,  and  William  C. 
Crump  was  chosen  in  his  place.  The  new  house 
was  now  an  assured  fact.  The  last  service  in  the 
old  one,  which  had  served  as  a  place  of  worship 
over  sixty  years,  was  held  September  30,  1849.     On 


320        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

this  occasion  Dr.  jMcEwen  preached  a  memorial 
sermon,  in  which  he  traced  the  history  of  the  deal- 
ings of  God  with  the  church  since  the  Channing 
house  was  erected  in  1787.  His  text  was  Psalm 
102:14;  "for  thy  servants  take  pleasure  in  her 
stones,  and  favor  the  dust  thereof."  The  old 
house  was  sold  and  removed.  Portions  of  it  were 
said  to  be  still  in  existence  in  some  of  the  buildings 
at  Palmertown  at  a  recent  date.  While  the  new 
house  was  building  the  congregation  worshipped  in 
the  Methodist  church,  which  was  then  standing  on 
the  corner  of  Union  and  Methodist  streets,  on  the 
site  occupied  by  the  house  of  the  late  Hon.  Nathan 
Belcher.  The  annual  meeting  of  the  parish  was 
warned  to  be  "held  at  the  Methodist  Meeting  house 
in  Union  street,  the  house  now  occupied  by  said  so- 
ciety, on  Monday  the  15th  day  of  April,  1850."  At 
this  meeting  the  committee  of  the  society,  Joshua 
C.  Learned,  Elias  Perkins,  and  Thomas  P.  Badet, 
were  "authorized  and  directed  by  deed  of  warranty 
in  the  name  of  this  society  to  convey  in  fee  simple 
to  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Perkins,  upon  the  payment  by 
her  of  the  sum  of  Two  hundred  Dollars,  in  addition 
to  the  sum  of  Two  Thousand  Dollars  already  paid, 
the  lot  of  land  belonging  to  said  society  on  Main 
street  in  this  town,  which  lot  is  bounded  northerly 
by  land  of  Andrew  Mather,  [the  site  of  the  dwelling 
of  Gov.  Saltonstall],  easterly  by  Main  street,  south- 
erly by  the  lot  of  land  on  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Richards  streets,  formerly  owned  by  Daniel  Stark 
•deceased ;  land  of  Ann  Huntington,  land  of  Wil- 


mcewen's  ministry.  321 

Ham  Gale,  land  formerly  Lorenzo  Crandall's  de- 
ceased, and  land  formerly  Lewis  Crandall's  de- 
ceased, and  westerly  by  a  pent  highway ;  said  prem- 
ises being  the  same  formerly  conveyed  to  the  first 
Congregational  Church  and  Society  in  said  New 
London  by  Thomas  Shaw  by  his  deed  bearing  date 
the  9th  day  of  November  A.  D.  1790,  on  record  in 
the  records  of  land  in  the  town  of  New  London." 
The  pastor  had,  by  the  terms  of  his  call,  a  certain 
right  in  this  property.  The  committee  were  in- 
structed to  take  measures  to  extinguish  this  claim. 
A  satisfactory  arrangement  was  made  with  Dr.  Mc- 
Ewen  by  which  he  relinquished  his  rights. 

An  agreement  had  been  entered  into  by  the  com- 
mittee of  the  society,  and  a  committee  of  the  six- 
teenth school  district,  November  1849,  by  which  an 
exchange  of  lands  was  effected,  so  as  to  make  the 
north  line  of  the  society's  property  behind  the 
church,  and  the  south  line  of  the  school  district's 
property,  straight.  At  the  meeting  in  April,  1850, 
this  agreement  was  ratified  by  the  society. 

September  26,  1850  the  committee  were  instruct- 
ed ''to  effect  such  insurance  against  fire  on  the  new 
meeting  house  and  at  such  time  as  they  shall  deem 
discreet."  This  vote  points  toward  the  early 
completion  of  the  new  structure,  upon  which  work 
had  been  in  progress  for  several  months.  At  this 
meeting  Ezra  Chappell,  William  C.  Crump,  Sidney 
Miner,  Elias  Perkins,  and  Joshua  C.  Learned  were 
appointed  a  committee  ''to  solicit  subscriptions  for 
the  completion  of  the  new  meeting-house,  grading 


322      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

the  street,  and  lot,  building  a  stone  wall  around  it, 
with  an  iron  fence."  The  fence  was  not  built  until 
1888,  with  a  legacy  left  to  the  society,  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  soliciting  of  subscriptions  progressed  so 
favorably  that,  October  7,  1850,  the  building  com- 
mittee were  "authorized  to  contract  for  the  complet- 
ing of  the  meeting-house,  and  the  necessary  grad- 
ing, walls  and  fences."  The  end  was  in  sight.  April  8, 
185 1  it  was  "voted  that  the  society's  committee  hire 
a  sum,  not  exceeding  nine  thousand  dollars,  on  the 
credit  of  the  society ;  and  they  are  hereby  author- 
ized to  give  the  society's  note  for  the  sum  so  bor- 
rowed ;  and  to  secure  the  payment  of  the  same  and 
interest  by  mortgaging,  in  the  name  of  the  society, 
the  new  meeting  house  of  the  society,  and  lot  on 
which  it  stands."  The  committee  were  at  the  same 
time  instructed  to  procure  insurance  upon  the  new 
house  for  ten  thousand  dollars  and  pledge  the  same 
as  further  security  for  the  payment  of  the  money 
which  was  to  be  borrowed,  and  expended  "for  the 
completion  and  furnishing  of  the  new  meeting 
house." 

Monday,  August  4,  1851  a  meeting  of  the  society 
was  warned  to  be  held  at  the  new  meeting-house,  for 
the  following  among  other  purposes  named,  to 
make  "provision  for  paying  the  debt  of  said  socie- 
ty," to  consider  ''the  expediency  of  disposing  of 
the  'Parsonage  Lots'  so  called,  belonging  to  said 
society,"  and  to  authorize  their  sale,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  sell  the  pews  in  said  meeting-house  until 
the  first  of  the  following  April.  The  sale  amounted 
to  $1477.00. 


mcewen's  ministry.  323 

By  the  terms  of  his  call  Dr.  McEwen  had  a  claim 
on  the  parsonage  lots  which  must  be  met  before 
they  could  be  sold.  The  committee  of  the  society 
were  instructed  to  confer  with  Dr.  McEwen,  and 
negotiate  with  him  ''for  a  release  to  the  society 
of  his  interest  in  the  Parsonage  lots  so  called,  and, 
if  he  consents,  to  allow  him  therefor  such  increase 
of  his  annual  salary  as,  in  their  judgment,  shall  be 
equivalent  to  the  use  of  said  lots,  as  he  is  now  en- 
titled to  the  same."  Satisfactory  arrangements 
were  made.  Dr.  McEwen  relinquished  all  claims 
to  the  parsonage  lots,  on  and  after  April  i,  1853,  i^^ 
consideration  of  "one  hundred  dollars  per  an- 
num" added  to  his  salary.  The  committee  were, 
therefore  authorized  to  sell  these  lots,  the  avails  of 
which  were  to  be  applied  to  extinguish  the  debt  on 
the  new  building.  The  lots  were  sold,  and  the 
money  applied  as  directed,  by  Mr.  Rial  Chaney,  who 
was  appointed  a  special  committee  for  that  purpose. 

No  record  of  the  dedication  of  the  new  meeting- 
house can  be  found.  But  as  the  pews  were  sold 
August  4,  1 85 1,  we  may  infer  that  divine  services 
began  to  be  held  in  it  at  about  this  time.  Whether 
a  formal  and  elaborate  dedication  service  was  held 
we  have  no  means  of  knowing.  But  that  this  house 
has  been  used  for  public  worship  since  the  first  sale 
of  pews,  admits  of  no  doubt. 

October  12,  1851,  a  communication  was  received 
from  Leopold  Eidlitz,  the  architect  who  drew  the 
plan  of  the  house,  stating  that,  owing  to  weakness 
in  the  walls  of  the  central  tower  it  would  be  neces- 


324      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

sary  to  take  it  down  and  rebuild  it.  The  masonry 
seemed  to  be  defective.  The  walls  began  to  part 
in  several  places.  The  society  voted  to  take  no  ac- 
tion at  that  time.  But  later  the  walls  were  bolted 
together,  and  filled  with  cement,  sc  that  now  they 
are  like  one  solid  mass. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  society,  April  13, 
1852  the  society's  committee  were  authorized  to 
confer  with  a  committee  of  the  town  with  reference 
to  putting  a  clock  in  the  tower  of  the  church.  A 
conference  was  had  and  as  a  result,  the  following 
vote  was  passed  July  17,  1852.  "Voted  that  the 
use  of  that  part  of  the  tower  in  the  meeting  house 
belonging  to  this  society,  intended  for  a  clock  be 
and  the  same  is  hereby  accorded  to  the  City  of  New 
London  for  a  city  clock,  as  long  as  both  the  said 
City  and  this  society  shall  please;  with  this  stipu- 
lation that  the  said  society  shall  not  withdraw  such 
privilege  from  the  City,  without  first  giving  them  at 
least  six  months  notice  to  vacate  the  premises ;  at 
the  termination  of  which  the  privilege  hereby  ac- 
corded to  said  city  shall  cease,  and  they  no  longer 
be  entitled  to  the  same ;  and  the  society  further 
agrees  that  if  they  shall  require  said  city  to  remove 
such  clock  prior  to  the  expiration  of  ten  years  from 
this  date,  except  for  the  purpose  of  taking  down 
or  reconstructing  said  tower,  in  whole  or  in  part,  the 
society  will  repay  to  said  city  the  actual  cost  to  said 
city  of  fitting  the  room  in  said  tower  for  said  clock, 
not  exceeding  the  sum  of  seventy-five  dollars." 

An  insurance  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  was  ef- 


mcewen's  ministry.  325 

fected  on  the  meeting-house.  The  First  Church 
and  parish  now  had  a  house  of  worship  as  substan- 
tial and  enduring  as  the  rock  on  which  it  was  built. 
Like  the  principles  of  the  gospel  for  which  it  stands, 
its  material  is  of  the  most  enduring  character.  Like 
the  hope  it  was  commissioned  to  bring  to  men  it 
is  founded  upon  a  rock.  The  stone  was  taken  from 
Baptist  rock,  from  the  park  by  the  Second  Church, 
and  from  the  spot  on  which  it  stands.  The  exact 
date  when  it  was  entirely  finished  can  not  be  found. 
But  the  pews  were  sold,  as  we  have  seen,  August  4, 
1 85 1,  and  the  last  stone  was  put  on  the  top  of  the 
spire  about  September  i.  So  that  it  could  not  have 
been  far  from  that  time. 

The  foregoing  are  the  principal  material  facts  of 
Dr.  McEwen's  long  and  conspicuously  able  minis- 
try. They  are  eloquent  testimony  to  the  ability  and 
fidelity  with  which  he  discharged  the  duties  of  his 
ofHce.  The  steady  growth  of  the  church  in  power, 
influence  and  numbers  tells  the  story  of  his  vigor 
and  freshness  of  thought,  even  in  old  age.  He  gave 
his  life  to  the  only  church  of  which  he  was  ever  pas- 
tor; not  because  he  had  no  flattering  offers  to  re- 
move to  other  and  larger  fields,  but  because  he  be- 
lieved in  a  pastorate  for  life.  It  was  fitting  that 
those,  whom  he  had  so  faithfully  served  during  a 
life-time,  should  care  for  him  in  the  evening,  while 
he  awaited  the  summons  to  come  home. 

This  brings  us  to  the  story  of  his  laying  down  his 
work;  a  story  not  without  its  pathos.  For  there 
is  a  touch  of  sadness  at  seeing  any  man  step  out  of 


"326      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

active  life.  This  is  especially  true  when  the  retir- 
ing toiler  has  been  an  acknowledged  leader.  But 
the  dignity  and  gracefulness  with  which  he  laid 
down  his  burdens  and  toils  bore  witness  to  his 
greatness. 

The  first  step,  looking  to  his  withdrawal  from  the 
pastorate,  was  a  letter  written  by  him,  to  the  church 
and  society  in  the  summer  of  1853,  proposing  to 
them  to  unite  with  him  in  calling  a  council  to  dis- 
miss him  from  the  pastoral  charge.  No  record  is 
made  either  of  the  letter  or  of  any  action  of  the 
church  or  society  in  response  to  this  communica- 
tion. All  we  know  of  this  matter  is  told  in  Dr.  Mc- 
Ewen's  subsequent  letter,  addressed  "to  the  First 
Congregational  Society  of  New  London"  in  Janu- 
ary 1854.  Dr.  Noah  Porter  says  that  the  proposi- 
tion, that  he  should  retire  from  the  active  duties  of 
the  ministry,  was  made  to  Dr.  McEwen  by  some  of 
his  most  respected  and  confidential  friends.  He 
was  seventy-four  years  of  age.  He  loved  the  min- 
istry. He  retained  his  capacity  for  its  work.  Yet 
it  was  evident  that  a  change  must  be  made  soon. 
A  feeling  was  growing  in  the  parish  that  there 
should  not  be  much  longer  delay.  When  the  mat- 
ter was  proposed  to  him  he  entered  into  the  project 
and  wrote  the  following  letter  to  the  society  which 
tells  its  own  story.  If  there  were  any  feelings  of 
heaviness  at  the  thought  of  laying  down  a  life-work, 
they  are  not  expressed  in  the  letter ;  which  is  as 
follows : 

Some   months    since   I   addressed   a   communication   to   the 


mcewen's  ministry.  327 

First  Congregational  Church  and  society  in  New  London,  re- 
questing them  to  unite  with  me  in  calling  a  council  to  dis- 
miss me  from  my  pastoral  charge.  I  made  that  request  be- 
cause I  was  informed  that  a  conviction  had  been  expressed  by 
members  of  the  church  and  society  that  it  was  desirable  that 
this  dismission  should  be  effected.  Afterwards  I  was,  by  the 
church  requested  to  take  back  that  request,  and  I  took  it 
back. 

I  have  not  suspected  that  the  movement  which  has  been 
made  was  the  result  of  disaffection,  or  of  disrespect  towards 
myself.  It  was  wholly  natural,  and  to  be  expected,  that  ju- 
dicious and  prudent  people  should  think  it  best  that  a  min- 
ister seventy-three  years  old  should  relinquish  his  labors. 
I  accord  in  opinion  with  them. 

Satisfied  as  I  am  that  convictions  on  this  subject  remain  as 
they  were  when  I  was  conferred  with,  it  is,  and  it  has  been 
unpleasant  to  protract  my  ministrations.  My  desire  is  to  re- 
linquish my  pastoral  labors,  and  to  have  the  Church  and  So- 
ciety, if  they  please,  put  another  man  in  the  pastoral  oflBce 
here,  who,  wholly  uninfluenced  and  not  interfered  with  by  me, 
shall  be  the  responsible  and  acting  pastor.  With  my  labors, 
I  wish  to  relinquish  my  salary,  if  in  any  way  provision 
can  be  made  for  my  support,  in  my  helpless  condition.  Hints 
were  given  me  that  the  expedient  had  been  thought  of,  of 
purchasing  for  me  a  life  annuity.  If  One  Thousand  Dollars 
annually  could  thus  be  provided  for  me  I  should  be  glad  to  re- 
linquish all  claims  upon  the  Society. 

For  nearly  half  a  century,  I  have  had  neither  desire  nor  ex- 
pectation of  a  dismission.  I  now  wish  to  live  and  die  in  this 
pastoral  office.  A  dismission  from  it  would  cut  me  off  from 
a  people  whom  I  love  and  respect,  and  from  the  clergy  and 
churches  of  the  County  and  State,  with  whom  I  desire  to 
remain  connected  the  short  residue  of  my  days.  If,  however, 
the  Society  and  Church,  or  either  of  those  bodies  are  reluctant 
that  the  connexion  between  them  and  me  should  remain,  I 
shall  consent  to  a  dissolution  of  it,  provided  any  feasible  means 
of  support  are  presented  to  me.    It  may  be  apprehended  by  the 


328       LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

people  connected  with  me  that  my  habit  of  pastoral  influence 
and  action  can  not  be  laid  aside.  If  a  colleague  should  be 
inducted  to  be  the  acting  minister,  my  fixed  determination 
is  to  withold  myself  rigidly  from  all  influence  over  him  and 
the  church  and  society,  and  from  every  species  of  interfer- 
ence with  their  concerns.  This  resolution  will,  I  think,  be 
inflexibly  preserved  and  practically  carried  out,  even  in  the 
dotage  of  Your  humble  servant, 

New  London  Jany  9,  1854.  ABEL  McEWEN. 

This  was  heroic  action.  To  lay  down  the  work 
of  a  Hfe-time,  and  see  it  pass  into  other  hands,  to 
say  adieu  to  a  church  which  owed  itself  to  his  la- 
bors of  almost  fifty  years,  was  the  act  of  a  great  soul. 
Dr.  McEwen  was  human,  and  it  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  this  step  was  taken  without  a  pang.  But 
he  was  great  enough  to  take  it,  and  his  retirement 
from  the  active  pastorate  was  one  of  the  greatest 
acts  of  a  long  and  conspicuous  life. 

January  17,  1854  a  meeting  of  the  society  was 
held  to  take  action  on  the  letter  of  Dr.  McEwen. 
At  this  meeting  the  following  votes  were  passed: 

Whereas  the  Revd  Abel  McEwen,  in  a  communication  under 
date  of  the  9th  of  January  instant,  made  by  him  to  this  so- 
ciety, proposes  to  relinquish  his  pastoral  labors,  if  adequate 
provision  is  made  for  his  future  support;  and  expresses  his 
wishes  in  favor  of  a  colleague  pastor, 

Voted,  that,  under  all  circumstances,  it  is  inexpedient,  in  the 
judgement  of  this  society,  to  call  and  settle  a  colleague  pastor. 

Voted  that  Adam  Prentis  and  William  C.  Crump  be  a  com- 
mittee to  obtain  subscriptions  for  a  sum  of  money,  ($5000)  to 
be  paid  to  the  Revd  Abel  McEwen  in  consideration  of  his 
retirement  from  the  pastoral  office  among  us,  and  relinquish- 
ment of  any  further  salary  from  and  claims  upon  this  so- 
ciety." 


mcewen's  ministry.  32^ 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  January  31,  that 
portion  of  the  preceding  vote  relating  to  the  set- 
tlement of  a  colleague,  which  was  passed  in  oppo- 
sition to  Dr.  McEwen's  wishes,  was  rescinded,  and 
the  following  votes  were  taken  in  its  stead : 

"Voted,  that  in  the  judgement  of  this  society,  it  is  best, 
if  practicable,  that  the  services  of  a  new  minister  be  secured 
to  perform  the  duties  of  a  pastor  to  this  church  and  society. 

"Voted  that  we  prefer  to  comply  with  the  wish  of  our  pas- 
tor, as  expressed  in  his  sd  communication,  as  to  a  colleague, 
and  to  procure  a  new  minister  to  be  our  'responsible  and  act- 
ing pastor'  without  the  formal  dissolution  of  the  present  pas- 
toral relations;  and  only  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Mc- 
Ewen's consent  to  its  dissolution,  in  case,  upon  trial,  we  shall 
find  its  continuance  interfering  with  the  best  good  of  the 
people  of  the  charge." 

The  committee  appointed  to  secure  subscriptions 
to  the  amount  of  $5000  were  continued  in  ofhce,  and 
instructed  to  raise  $500  more  than  was  at  first  pro- 
posed. This  sum  was  to  be  paid  to  him  "in  lieu  of 
all  salary  *  *  *  from  the  society  after  the  ist  day  of 
April  next  [1854],  and  in  discharge  of  all  legal 
claims  upon  the  society  after  that  date."  The  sub- 
scription was  raised,  and  the  committee  reported  so 
at  an  adjourned  meeting  held  February  7.  Mr. 
Adam  Prentis  was  appointed  a  committee  to  present 
this  sum,  with  the  final  vote  of  the  society,  to  Dr. 
McEwen,  and,  if  he  should  accept  the  money  upon 
the  terms  of  the  subscription,  to  enter  into  agree- 
ment with  him,  "whereby  the  said  Rev.  Dr.  Mc- 
Ewen shall  release  this  society  from  all  claims  for 
salary  and  otherwise;  and  from  all  legal  demands 


330       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

after  the  first  day  of  April  next,  and  the  society  shall 
release  the  said  Rev.  Dr.  McEwen  from  all  claims 
for  service  from  and  after  that  date." 

The  subscription  was  raised  in  sums  varying  from 
twenty  to  six  hundred  dollars,  subscribed  by  forty- 
four  persons.  The  following  is  the  subscription 
which  was  signed,  "Whereas  the  Rev.  Doct.  Abel 
McEwen,  pastor  of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society 
in  New  London  has  expressed  his  wish  to  relin- 
quish his  pastoral  labors  in  said  Society,  and  the 
Church  connected  therewith ;  and  whereas  the  said 
Society  has  voted  its  preference  that  the  services  of 
a  new  minister  be  procured  for  said  church  and  so- 
ciety without  a  formal  dissolution  of  the  present 
pastoral  relations,  unless  upon  trial  made,  its  con- 
tinuance shall  be  found  detrimental  to  the  people 
of  the  charge ;  we  the  subscribers  severally  agree  to 
pay  the  sums  written  against  our  respective  signa- 
tures, to  the  said  Rev.  Doct.  McEwen  upon  his  re- 
linquishment of  all  legal  claims  and  demands  upon 
said  society  for  salary  or  otherwise  after  the  first  day 
of  April  next ;  provided  that  our  subscriptions  here- 
to shall  not  be  binding  unless  a  sum  of  not  less  than 
fifty  five  hundred  Dollars  shall  be  subscribed  hereto 
on  or  before  the  7th  day  of  February  A.  D.  1854." 

Dr.  McEwen  had  written,  to  Mr.  A.  F.  Pren- 
tis,  the  following  letter.  'T  am  satisfied  with  the 
action  of  the  First  Cong.  Society  of  this  City 
in  relation  to  my  late  communication,  and  with 
the  subscription.  I  am  ready  to  sign  an  agreement 
to  relinquish  my  salary,  and  to  discharge  the  society 


mcewen's  ministry.  331 

from  all  legal  claims  to  support  after  the  ist  of 
April  next,  on  condition  that  I  am  then,  by  the  so- 
ciety, released  from  pastoral  labors,  and  furnished 
with  the  amount  of  money  subscribed."  The  fol- 
lowing agreement  was  entered  into  by  Dr.  McEwen 
on  the  one  hand,  and  Adam  Prentis  in  behalf  of  the 
society  on  the  other  hand. 

The  undersigned  Abel  McEwen  having  accepted  the  sub- 
scription named  and  referred  to  in  the  vote  of  the  First  Ec- 
clesiastical Society  in  New  London,  passed  at  a  meeting  of 
said  society,  holden  on  the  evening  of  Feby.  7,  1854,  and  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  terms  of  said  subscription,  it  is  hereby 
mutually  agreed  by  and  between  the  said  Abel  McEwen  and 
the  said  society  which  acts  herein  by  Adam  F.  Prentis  its 
committee  for  that  purpose,  duly  authorized  by  the  said  vote 
of  the  said  society;  That  the  said  Abel  McEwen  on  his  part 
hereby  releases  said  society  from  all  claim  for  salary  and 
from  all  legal  demands  from  and  after  the  1st  day  of  April 
next;  And  the  said  society  on  its  part  releases  the  said  Abel 
McEwen  from  all  claims  and  demands  for  pastoral  service 
from  and  after  the  same  date. 

In  witness  whereof  the  parties  hereto  have  set  their  hands 
to  this  instrument,  and  to  a  duplicate  original  hereof. 

Dated  at  New  London  the  21st  day  of  February  A.  D.  1854. 

ABEL  McEWEN. 
ADAM  F.   PRENTIS. 
Committee. 

Dr.  McEwen  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  the 
money  as  follows : 

Received  New  London  1st  April  1854  of  Adam  F.  Prentis 
•Committee,  Five  thousand  Five  Hundred  Dollars,  being  in 
full  for  the  account  of  subscription  due  me  this  day  by  the 
First  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  this  City.       ABEL  McEWEN. 


332       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Thus  April  I,  1854  closed  the  active  labors  of  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  pastorates  of  this  venerable 
church.  Why  the  society  at  first  declined  his  re- 
quest for  a  colleague  can  only  be  conjectured. 
Probably  it  was  feared  that  Dr.  McEwen,  who  had 
so  long  been  supreme  bishop  of  the  church,  would 
find  it  difficult  to  keep  his  hands  entirely  off  the 
work  to  which  they  had  become  so  accustomed. 
But  they  mistook  the  man.  Dr.  Field's  testimony 
is  that  Dr.  McEwen  was  a  great  help  rather  than  a 
hindrance.  He  was  never  asked  to  take  himself  out 
of  the  way,  and  he  died,  as  he  had  been,  for  more 
than  fifty  years,  a  pastor  of  the  only  church  which 
he  had  ever  served.  It  would  have  been  a  cruel 
thing  to  insist  on  his  laying  down  the  tender  rela- 
tions in  which  he  had  stood  to  the  church  so  long. 
It  was  fitting  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  die  as  its 
pastor,  and  that  those  whom  he  had  so  faithfully 
served  should  provide  for  his  support  in  that  rest 
from  his  labors,  before  his  final  rest,  which  he  had 
so  abundantly  earned. 


XII. 

ft 

THE    PASTORATE    OF    ABEI<    MCEWEN,    D.    D.; 

THE   CHURCH. 


When  Dr.  McEwen  assumed  this  responsible 
pastorate,  the  rehgious  Hfe  of  the  church  was  at  a 
low  ebb.  Scarcely  any  of  the  agencies  of  a  vigor- 
ous spiritual  life  were  visible  or  at  work.  This  was 
so  evident  that  Mr.  Channing  referred  to  it  in  his 
letter  of  February  21,  1806. 

In  those  days  it  was  very  generally  the  custom 
in  professedly  Christian  families  to  have  family  wor- 
ship, and  to  ask  the  divine  blessing  at  the  family 
meal ;  much  more  so,  it  is  to  be  feared,  than  now. 
When  Dr.  McEwen  came  here  in  1806  the  popula- 
tion of  the  town  was  about  three  thousand,  and  the 
membership  of  the  church  about  two  hundred.  In 
all  the  town  there  were,  then,  but  four  or  five  fam- 
ilies which  had  family  worship  daily.  Dr.  McEwen 
said,  in  his  half  century  sermon,  "at  the  commence- 
ment of  my  ministry  in  this  place,  little  of  family  re- 
ligion could  be  found.  Households,  at  their  meals, 
sat  down  to  eat,  and  rose  up  to  play.  Few  children 
or  domestics  heard  the  head  of  their  house  ask  a 
blessing,  or  give  thanks  at  their  table.  So  far  as 
careful  enquiry  can  be  relied  on  for  knowledge  of 
facts,  in  but  two  families  in  this  whole  congregation 


334      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH 

was  daily  prayer  maintained ;  though  prayer,  Satur- 
day evenings,  was  every  week  offered  by  one  other 
householder  at  the  head  of  his  family.  *  ^'  *  Prob- 
ably in  two  other  houses,  perhaps  in  three,  belong- 
ing to  two  other  religious  denominations  prayer 
was,  by  laymen,  daily  offered.  *  ^  *  With  emo- 
tion we  look  back  upon  the  habits  of  households 
here,  at  that  time.  How  had  they  degenerated  from 
the  usages  of  their  Puritan  fathers !" 

Another  indication  of  the  religious  conditions 
which  the  young  pastor  had  to  face  is,  that,  aside 
from  the  two  services  on  the  Sabbath,  and  the  lec- 
ture preparatory  to  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  no  public  religious  meetings  were  held. 
Public  sentiment  was  openly  and  contemptuously 
expressed  against  them.  "Night-meetings  were 
denounced  as  panders  to  debauch."  However,  says 
Dr.  McEw^en  "in  the  summer  of  1807,  a  religious 
sensibility  was  manifest  in  a  large  portion  of  the 
congregation  connected  with  this  Church.  People 
in  large  numbers  gathered  at  dwelling  houses  for 
prayer  and  religious  instruction.  The  house  for 
such  meetings  had  not  been  built." 

Another  indication  of  the  spiritual  state  which  he 
found  here  is  the  fact  that  young  people,  especially 
young  men,  held  aloof  from  the  church.  When 
Stephen  Peck,  a  young  man,  came  into  the  church 
in  1810,  it  was  regarded  with  wonder  as  an  unprec- 
edented thing.  Dr.  McEwen,  gives  this  incident, 
which  illustrates  the  state  of  public  sentiment  at 
that  time.     "A  young  man,  with  his  young  wife,  was 


mcewen's  ministry.  335 

seen  in  the  twilight,  on  his  way  to  one  of  those 
strange  assembHes.  A  company  of  respectable  men 
were  standing  on  the  street.  One  of  them,  with  af- 
fected simplicity,  inquired  where  the  couple  could 
be  going?  The  reply  was,  'to  an  evening  meeting.' 
'That,'  said  the  enquirer,  'is  too  bad :  when  a  new 
minister  is  settled,  especially  if  he  be  a  young  man, 
it  is  to  be  expected  that  the  women,  and  especially 
the  young  women,  will  importune  him  for  many 
services ;  but  to  see  a  respectable  young  man  going 
to  an  evening  meeting  is  an  outrage.'  " 

Such  were  the  spiritual  conditions  into  which 
Dr.  McEwen  came.  The  church  was  as  dead  as  the 
deadest  churches  of  the  Revelation.  But  he  came 
fresh  from  the  scenes  of  revival  in  which  he  had 
been  active  in  Yale  College,  and  with  the  daring 
ardor  of  youth.  Early  in  his  ministry  religious 
meetings,  on  the  secular  evenings  of  the  week,  came 
to  "abound  in  congregations  of  every  name."  "K 
peal  from  the  bells  in  town  is  often  heard,"  he  said 
in  1857,  "but  no  person  regards  it  as  a  fire-alarm; 
whereas  a  remonstrance  was  once  served  upon  me, 
against  this  style  of  notice  for  a  public  meeting,  lest 
it  should  be  productive  of  this  distressing  efifect." 
He  may  be  said  to  have  introduced  prayer  meetings 
on  secular  days  of  the  week  into  the  religious  life  of 
New  London. 

The  state  of  public  opinion  and  practice  with  re- 
gard to  Sabbath  observance,  is  yet  another  indica- 
tion of  the  low  moral  and  religious  tone  which  he 
found  when  he  came.     We  quote  further  from  his 


336      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

half-century  sermon.  ''During  this  half-century 
the  habits  of  the  people  of  this  place  have  greatly 
changed."  The  change  was  in  no  small  degree  due 
to  his  vigorous,  fearless,  and  evangelical  ministry. 
He  continues,  "the  Sabbath  is  conceived  to  be  less 
profaned  in  the  latter  years,  than  it  was  in  the  first 
part  of  that  period.  Then,  this  congregation,  and 
that  of  the  Episcopalians,  were  the  only  people  who 
sustained  regular  public  worship  on  the  Sabbath. 
Two  other  places  for  preaching  the  gospel  had  been 
opened,  one  for  the  Methodists  and  one  for  the  Bap- 
tists. But  the  ministrations  in  these  two  places 
were  inconstant;  congregations  of  competent  size 
and  stability  not  having  yet  been  gathered.  A 
large  division  of  the  population  were  not  attached 
to  any  institution  of  worship ;  and  they  slightly,  if 
at  all,  regarded  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath.  They 
were  seen  much  in  the  markets,  in  the  streets,  on 
the  wharves  and  water,  in  the  fields,  but  not  in  the 
house  of  God."  In  1857,  when  his  half-century  ser- 
mon was  preached,  he  could  say  that  a  different 
spectacle  was  presented.  The  two  worshipping  as- 
semblies had  multiplied  into  several,  and  the  Sab- 
bath was  far  less  profaned. 

As  early  as  1806  the  Christian  Sabbath  was  re- 
garded as  commencing  Saturday  at  sunset,  and  a 
proper  regard  for  holy  time  required  that  all  unnec- 
essary work  be  put  aside  at  that  hour.  Dr.  Mc- 
Ewen  says  of  Saturday  evening,  it  "was,  by  peo- 
ple of  the  Puritan  stock,  regarded  as  part  of  the  Sab- 
bath, and  those  of  them  who  inherited  the  faith  and 


mcewen's  ministry.  337 

place.  The  married  and  the  unmarried,  almost  all 
spirit  of  their  ancestors,  strictly  hallowed  it.  Bat 
that  evening  was  the  season  of  a  weekly  banquet, 
which  gave  much  of  character  to  the  people  of  this 
the  respectable  men  of  the  city,  the  wealthy,  the  en- 
terprising, the  ambitious,  the  educated,  the  literary, 
the  professional,  magistrates  and  their  constituents 
were,  the  deeply  religious  excepted,  constant  attend- 
ants upon  the  festival  of  the  tripe-club.  It  was  in- 
stituted and  maintained,  ostensibly  for  the  benefit 
of  its  host,  a  respectable  old  gentleman,  to  whom  the 
emolument  of  the  business  was  a  convenience,  but 
in  reality,  for  sensual  gratification,  at  the  table,  in 
viands  and  liquors,  for  social  entertainment,  such 
as  it  was,  and  more  than  all,  for  the  privilege  of 
gambling,  in  which  almost  the  whole  fraternity  par- 
ticipated, well  nigh  to  the  dawning  of  the  day. 
This  was  the  preparation  season  for  the  Sabbath 
not  of  Jews,  but  of  those  who  wore  the  seal  of 
Christian  baptism,  and  who  belonged  to  Christian 
assemblies."  When  the  facts  were  fully  known,  the 
young  pastor  preached  a  sermon  "'on  the  sanctity 
and  duties  of  Saturday  evening,  for  the  special  ben- 
efit of  the  club."  It  had  the  desired  efifect.  The 
club  was  suddenly  forsaken,  and  the  festival  was 

abandoned. 

Another  effect  of  Dr.  McEwen's  plain  and  faithful 

preaching,  not  unlike  that  produced  upon  the 
"tripe-club,"  is  worth  stating  in  this  connection. 
Intemperance,  profanity,  profanation  of  the  Sab- 
bath, unchastity  were  vices  then  as  now,  and  awak- 


338      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

ened  the  zeal  of  people  who  longed  to  see  society 
purified  of  these  crying  evils.  A  society  of  reform, 
known  as  "The  Branch  Moral  Society  of  New  Lon- 
don," was  formed  during  his  early  ministry.  Its 
object  was  to  seek  for  a  radical  correction  of  all 
those  evils  which  afflicted  society.  April  21,  1817 
this  organization  held  an  annual  meeting,  at  which 
the  following  report  was  made  of  the  purpose  and 
doings  of  the  society. 

If  our  activity  has  fallen  short  of  what  might  have  been 
expected,  we  trust  it  is  not  to  be  attributed  to  apathy  or  in- 
difference respecting  the  objects  of  our  watchfulness,  and  if 
patriotick  or  better  motives,  on  the  part  of  the  members, 
have  not  had  their  full  effect,  we  have  to  state,  that  some,  out 
of  the  society,  have  been  excited  to  action — the  violation  of 
the  law  concerning  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits  has  drawn  upon 
it  the  resentment  of  individuals,  two  or  three  persons  have 
had  the  courage  to  look  the  dreadful  evil  in  the  face,  and 
nearly  or  quite  every  delinquent,  in  the  county,  has  been  pros- 
ecuted, and  a  wonderful  reformation,  apparently  not  derived 
from  this  transaction,  has,  however,  accompanied  it,  almost 
every  intemperate  person  has,  as  if  by  consent,  stopped  short, 
in  their  degrading  and  ruinous  course,  and  become,  to  all 
appearance,  sober  men,  this  reformation  wonderful  indeed, 
seems  connected  with  the  very  gracious  work  of  God  manifest- 
ly displayed,  among  us,  at  the  same  time,  under  the  operation 
of  which,  many  have  been,  and  more  are  hopefully  expected 
to  be,  joined  to  the  Lord. 

The  general  complexion  of  society  as  to  intemperance,  pro- 
faneness  and  profanation  of  the  Sabbath  is  evidently  ameliora- 
ting. 

The  enemies  of  reform  attributed  the  prosecution  before 
mentioned  to  the  secret  machinations  of  the  moral  society, 
the  less  they  knew  of  its  proceedings,  the  more  credit  they 


mcewen's  ministry.  339 

were  disposed  to  give  it,  for  what  they  were  disposed  to  con- 
sider a  mischievous  work.  Some  hated  the  society  because 
they  considered  it  endangering  their  craft,  the  careless  and 
thoughtless  did  not  consider  that  any  reform  was  desirable. 
Whatever  is  connected  with  the  depravation  of  morals  must 
be  interesting  to  every  good  man,  especially  to  every  chris- 
tian. It  has  been  remarked  that  the  greatest  part  of  those 
who  are  brought  to  the  bar  of  criminal  courts,  are  drinkers 
of  rum,  hardness  of  heart  is  in  their  brain,  the  finer  feelings 
being  blunted,  all  the  tender  charities  and  social  endearments 
terminate  with  the  introduction  of  that  habit,  their  offspring 
have  not  the  ordinary  portion  of  vitality,  and  poverty  in  ad- 
dition is  the  consummation  of  their  misery. 

No  name  is  attached  to  the  foregoing  report. 
But  it  is  written  in  the  unmistakable  hand  of  Dea- 
con Jedediah  Huntington.  It  shows  that  there 
were  the  same  social  problems  to  face  then  as  now ; 
that  the  sale  and  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  were  as 
mischievous  and  destructive  as  they  are  today ;  and 
that  the  real  remedy  for  such  evils  is  to  be  found  in 
the  prevalence  of  the  gospel,  and  in  the  work  of 
the  spirit  of  God  upon  the  heart,  transforming  the 
life.  It  shows  also  on  which  side  of  these  reforms 
the  pastor's  influence  was  cast. 

The  creed  which  Dr.  McEwen  found  in  use  is 
another  indication  of  the  religious  and  spiritual  con- 
ditions which  existed  in  the  church  when  he  came  to 
New  London.  That  now  in  use  seems  to  have  been 
the  same,  "for  substance  of  doctrine,"  if  not  in  ac- 
tual form,  as  the  one  which  had  been  in  use  from 
the  early  days  of  the  church.  As  we  have  seen, 
about  1789  Mr.  Channing,  to  quote  Dr.  McEwen,,. 


340      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

"cut  it  out  of  the  book  (of  records) ;  and  inserted 
a  Unitarian  creed;  and,  without  asking,  or  receiv- 
ing, the  consent  of  the  church,  used  that,  in  the  ad- 
mission of  members,  for  the  next  seventeen  subse- 
quent years."  Nevertheless,  during  all  those  years 
the  creed  to  which  the  church  was  committed  by  its 
own  vote,  and  by  more  than  a  century  of  usage, 
was  the  ancient  symbol,  adopted  by  it  in  its  early 
history,  never  erased  from  its  records  by  its  own 
act,  always  used  by  it  except  during  the  years  in 
question,  and  is  still  the  foundation  on  which  it 
stands. 

Mr.    Channing's   statement   did   not   satisfy   the 
strong  evangelical  convictions  of  the  young  pastor, 
who  was  too  fresh  from  the  mint  of  Dr.  Dwight's 
masterly    evangelical    instructions,    to    be    pleased 
with  any  negative,  uncertain,  non-committal  state- 
ment of  the  vital  doctrines  of  the  gospel.     So  "at 
the  public  lecture  on  Friday  the  26th  of  June,  1807, 
the  form  of  a  Profession  of  faith  and  Covenant  was 
read  before  the  church,  and  proposed  for  their  con- 
sideration."    The  people  were  informed  that  after 
due  time  for  examination,  they  would  be  asked  to 
express  their  minds  on  a  motion  to  substitute  this 
form  for  the  one  in  use.     The  reason  given  for  pro- 
posing the  change  was  "that,  in  the  form  now  in  use, 
some  of  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  were  conceived 
to  be  expressed  with  too  little  perspicuity;  partic- 
ularly the  Divinity  of  Christ." 

Nothing  further  appears  to  have  been  said  by 
Dr.    McEwen   till    nearly   three   years   later.     On 


mcewen's  ministry.  341 

"Lord's  day  March  20,  1810,  after  the  close  of  pub- 
lic worship,  the  church  were  reminded  of  the  prop- 
osition which  had  been  submitted  to  them  for 
adopting  a  new  form  of  Profession  of  faith  and  Cov- 
enant. The  proposition  was  renewed.  A  copy  of 
the  new  form  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  church, 
and  they  were  invited  to  subscribe  their  names  to 
it."  April  20  of  the  same  year,  "at  the  close  of  the 
morning  service,  on  fast  day,  the  church  were  in- 
formed that  a  very  extensive  approbation  of  the  new 
form  of  Profession  of  faith  and  Covenant  had  been 
expressed  by  subscription,  a  large  majority  of  the 
male  members  of  the  church  having  subscribed." 
The  question  was  then  put,  ''whether  any  objection 
to  an  immediate  adoption  of  it  existed  in  the  minds 
of  any  brother.  No  objection  being  expressed,  the 
church  were  told  that  it  would  be  henceforth  used 
in  the  admission  of  members  to  their  communion." 
And  from  that  day  it  has  continued  in  use,  as  the 
doctrinal  platform  of  the  church.  The  first  to  sign 
this  new  form  of  Profession  of  Faith  and  Covenant 
was  Jedediah  Huntington,  at  that  time  a  deacon  of 
the  church,  and  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in 
the  town.     It  is  as  follows : 

STATEMENT  OF  DOCTRINE. 

In  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  the  searcher  of  hearts,  and 
before  this  assembly,  you  profess  your  unfeigned  belief  of  the 
holy  scriptures,  as  given  by  divine  inspiration;  your  acceptance 
of  all  the  doctrines  contained  in  them;  and  your  submission  to 
the  whole  will  of  God  revealed  in  his  word. 

Particularly,  you  believe  that  the  Lord  Jehovah,  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  the  one  living  and  true  God, 


342       LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  equal  with  the 
Father,  and  the  only  Saviour  of  men;  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  also  God,  and  that  he  is  the  only  sanctifler  of  those  who 
believe  in  Christ  to  the  salvation  of  their  souls. 

You  also  believe,  that  in  consequence  of  the  fall  of  man 
from  his  primitive  state  of  innocence,  all  the  human  race, 
while  in  a  state  of  nature,  are  destitute  of  holiness;  and  that 
a  renovation  of  heart  during  the  present  life,  through  sanctifi- 
cation  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  is  necessary  to  fit  mankind  for 
union  and  communion  with  the  visible  Church  of  Christ  on 
earth,  and  for  an  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  Heaven, 

You  furthermore  believe,  that  all  who  are  the  subjects  of 
the  renewing  and  sanctifying  influences  of  the  Divine  Spirit, 
exercise  supreme  love  to  God,  benevolence  towards  men,  re- 
pentance of  sin,  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whose 
righteousness  forms  the  only  ground  of  justification  before 
God,  and  that  the  law  of  God  still  remains  their  rule  of  con- 
duct. 

DO  YOU   THUS   BELIEVE? 

COVENANT. 

Humbly  hoping  that  you  are  a  subject  of  the  new  birth,  of 
that  faith  in  Christ  which  works  by  love  and  purifies  the  heart, 
and  of  that  repentance  which  is  unto  life,  you  avouch  the 
Lord  Jehovah  to  be  your  God,  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God 
to  be  your  Saviour,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  to  be  your  Sanctifler. 

Depending  on  divine  grace  for  sanctification,  consolation, 
and  spiritual  strength,  and  receiving  the  Word  of  God  as  the 
only  rule  of  your  faith  and  practice,  you  submit  to  the  broth- 
erly watch  and  discipline  of  this  Church  of  Christ;  and 
engage  on  your  part  to  comfort,  assist,  warn  and  reprove  its 
members  as  becometh  a  faithful  follower  of  Christ. 

You  do  now  solemnly  give  up  yourself  and  all  that  you  have, 
unto  God;  promising  that  you  will  endeavor  to  walk  as  be- 
cometh the  Gospel  of  Christ,  that  you  may  give  no  cause  for 
others  to  speak  evil  of  it  on  your  account,  but  that  the  name 
of  God  may  be  glorified  in  you. 

DO   YOU    THUS    PROMISE? 


mcewen's  ministry. 


343 


On  you  thus  professing  and  promising,  we  receive  you  into 
this  Church,  and  admit  you  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  all  its 
privileges, — promising,  through  Divine  Grace  assisting  us,  1o 
aid  you  in  the  duties  of  the  Christian  Ife  by  our  prayers  and 
fraternal  watchfulness,  expecting  in  return,  the  same  offices 
from  you,  that  the  purposes  of  this  holy  COVENANT  may  be 
answered.  The  Lord  make  us  faithful  to  himself  and  to  each 
other. 

There  were  one  hundred  and  thirty  names  signed 

to  the  document,  which  were  as  follows : 


Jedediah  Huntington 
Faith  T.  Huntington 
Abby  Leeds 
Ann  W.  Peck 
Harriet  Richards 
Matilda  Wright 
Elisabeth  Shapley 
Elisabeth  Prentis 
Betsey  Forsyth 
Frances  Briggs 
Ann  C.   Richards 
Frances  Chew 
Hannah  Saltonstall 
Mary  H.  Saltonstall 
Ralph  Stoddard 
Sarah  Beebe 
Mary  Fitch 
Susanna  Grifing 
Lucy  [name  illegible] 
Hannah  Holt 
Jennett    Robertson 
Hannah   Butler 
Elis.  Dickinson 
Esther  Harris 
Anna  Law 
Sarah  Gardiner 
Jennet  Keeney 


Experience  Gordon 
Sarah  Hewitt 
Nancy  Hewitt 
Nany  Moore 
Mary  Coit 
Ezekiel  Fox 
Susan  Fox 
Susan  F.  Fox 
Asa  Dutton 
Joanna   Caulkins 
George  Gordon 
Thos.  H.  Goddard 
Lydia  Manwaring 
Abigail  Wait 
Anna  Hempstead 
Nabby  Young 
Elisabeth  Holt 
Nancy  Sistare 
Sally  Sistare 
Patience   Mason 
Phebe  Culver 
Cesar  Shaw 
Jane  Shaw 
Fanny  Chester 
Elisabeth  Coit 
Jenny  Anderson 
Eliza  Sisson 


344      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 


Mary  Keeney 
Daniel  Starr 
Abigail  Hinman 
Hannah  Hinman 
Wealthy  Chappell 
Elizabeth  Harris 
Sarah  Bradley 
Deborah  Bradley 
Polly  Bradley 
Bathsheba  Freeman 
Sarah  Bliss 
Susannah  Hull 
Rebekah  Ryon 
Samuel  Whittemore 
Rhoda  Whittemore 
Nancy  Whittemore 
Esther  Robertson 
Catherine  R.  Robertson 
Eliz.  Tate 
Saml  Culver  Junr 
Lucy  Gaylord 
Catherine  Wells 
William  Richards 
Mary  Richards 
Henrietta  Richards 
Eunice    Richards 
Phebe  Smedley 
Mary  Ann  Richards 
Catharine   Rogers 
Sally  Manwaring 
Mary  Hempsted 
Ann  S.  Mumford 
Katharine  Richards 
Eliza  Woodward 
Abby  Elderkin 
Lucy  Douglas 
Elizabeth  Douglas 


Samuel  Whittemore  Ju 
John  Colt 
Ann  E.  Coit 
Betsey  Harris 
James  Peters 
Lydia  Gillet 
Mary  Hinman 
Mary  Rogers 
Clarissa   Dart 
Hannah  Starr 
Sarah  Owen 
Ann  Hatch 
Sarah  Edmonds 
Elizabeth  Gale 
George  Colfax 
Ann  Colfax 
Mary  Colfax 
Susan  Colton 
Sally  Smith 
Lydia  Colfax 
Rebecca  Haynes 
Henry   Johnson 
Esther   Morgan 
Lucy  Whipple 
Margaret  Dart 
Sally  Chapel 
Eliza  Spencer 
Charlotte  Weeks 
Abby  Beebe 
Lydia  Manwaring 
Abby  Brooks 
Thaddeus  Brooks 
Esther  Potter 
Susanah  Hempstead 
Nathaniel  Hempsted 
Chester  Kimball 


mcewen's  ministry.  345 

Dr.  McEwen  in  his  half-century  sermon,  gives  the 
following  account  of  this  substitution  of  the  present 
articles  of  faith  and  covenant,  for  those  which  had 
been  used  by  Mr.  Channing.  "In  the  second  year 
of  my  ministry,  a  leading  member  of  the  church," 
probably  Jedediah  Huntington,  "presented  to  me 
a  copy  of  the  old  confession,  stating  that  the  con- 
fession then  on  the  records,  had  never  been  adopted 
by  the  church ;  and  that  the  one,  which  had  been 
abstracted  had  never  been  renounced,  nor  relin- 
quished by  the  church ;  adding  still  further,  that  a 
desire  was  prevalent  in  the  church,  that  its  own 
confession  should  be  restored  to  practical  use,  and 
to  its  rightful  position  on  the  record.  The  result 
was,  that  the  ancient  record  was  put  into  modern 
phrase,  was  heartily  adopted  by  the  church,  and 
that  it  still  remains  its  confession  of  faith."  This 
change  was  the  beginning  of  a  revolution  in  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  church,  and  was  the  first  step 
forward  into  a  place  of  greater  power  in  the  com- 
munity. 

It  was  no  easy  task  which  the  young  pastor  had 
undertaken.  But  the  blood  of  the  Scotch  covenant- 
ers was  in  his  veins.  Some  of  his  ancestors  had 
fought  for  the  faith  at  Bothwell  Bridge.  He  would 
fight  for  it  at  New  London.  He  was  not  to  be 
shaken  in  his  beliefs,  nor  to  be  turned  aside  from 
preaching  the  evangelical  doctrines  of  the  gospel, 
in  which  he  had  been  trained  from  the  cradle.  He 
began  at  once  to  preach  them  with  fearless  plain- 
ness.    There   was   no  mistaking   what   he   meant. 


346       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Preaching,  so  marked  in  its  contrast  with  that  of 
his  predecessor,  arrested  the  attention  of  thinking 
minds,  and  many  of  them  were  won  to  a  pubhc  con- 
fession of  faith  in  Christ.  Among  these  were  some 
of  the  leading  lawyers  of  New  London  County,  who 
were  at  that  time  residents  of  this  city;  also  some 
of  the  principal  men  in  all  callings.  This  fact,  to- 
gether with  the  large  numbers  of  men  who  were  at- 
tracted to  his  ministry,  shows  the  strength  of  his 
preaching,  and  the  success  with  which  he  met  the 
case  before  him.  The  list  of  those  who  joined  the 
church  under  his  ministry,  contains  the  names  ot 
men  of  wide  distinction.  That  the  preaching  of  this 
young  man  should  draw  to  itself  such  men,  is  tes- 
timony to  its  intellectual  power. 

The  spiritual  power  with  which  he  addressed  him- 
self to  the  difBculties  of  the  situation  is  proved  by 
other  conspicuous  facts.  In  the  first  place  the  re- 
ligious life  of  the  church  was  soon  revolutionized. 
A  notice  of  his  death  in  the  Congregational  Review 
for  January,  1861,  says  of  him:  ''The  new  pastor 
restored  the  ancient  landmarks,  and  brought  back 
the  church  to  a  general  soundness  in  the  truth." 

During  the  fifty-four  years  of  his  pastorate  from 
1806  to  i860,  seven  hundred  and  twenty-eight  were 
added  to  the  membership  of  the  church.  During 
the  first  half  of  his  ministry  there  were  frequent  sea- 
sons of  revival,  and  the  yearly  additions  rarely  fell 
below  twenty-five.  Probably  Dr.  McEwen's  meth- 
ods were  not  evangelistic,  in  the  sense  now  under- 
stood, but  his  preaching  drew  strong  men  to  Christ, 


MCEWEN^S  MINISTRY.  347 

In  a  sermon  preached  Sept.  30,  1849,  ^^  ^^^  ^^' 
casion  of  leaving  the  house  of  worship  which  had 
been  built  in  1785-7,  he  said,  "this  house  of  worship, 
in  which,  I  understand,  we  now  worship  for  the 
last  time,  has  been,  as  we  have  reason  to  think,  a 
place  where  the  grace  of  God  has  exerted,  tO'  a 
goodly  extent,  its  work  of  salvation.  The  gospel 
has  been,  with  scarcely  any  interruption,  preached 
in  it  for  sixty-two  years.  How  many  seasons  of 
the  work  of  special  grace  occurred  during  the  min- 
istry of  my  predecessor,  which  lasted  nineteen  years, 
I  am  unable  to  say ;  from  the  records  of  the  church 
during  that  period,  it  appears  that  the  most  numer- 
ous accessions  to  its  communion  were  in  the  years 
1788  and  1794.  In  1799  a  goodly  number  made  a 
profession  of  religion.  During  my  ministry  of  for- 
ty-three years,  the  spirit  of  grace  has  signalized 
some  periods  of  time  more  than  others.  During  the 
first  twenty-five  years,  the  congregation  embraced 
a  greater  proportion  of  young  people  than  it  has 
done  since.  During  that  time  hardly  a  year  passed 
without  an  addition  to  the  church  of  twenty-five 
members.  In  the  years  1807  and  1808,  the  ingath- 
erings were  numerous.  The  years  1817,  '18  and 
'19,  were  also  signalized  by  a  special  work  of  grace. 
In  1826  many  were  hopefully  converted  from  sin  to 
God.  In  the  years  1831  and  1832,  the  work  of  sal- 
vation was  very  conspicuous.  In  '34,  '42,  and  '43, 
a  goodly  number  obtained  hopes  of  salvation,  and 
openly  professed  their  faith.  During  the  present 
year  (1849)  ^  number  of  persons  in  this  assembly 


348      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

have  been  the  subjects  of  special  religious  sensibil- 
ity." During  the  forty-three  years  of  his  ministry 
which  had  elapsed,  when  he  preached  for  the  last 
time  in  the  old  house,  five  hundred  and  eighty-four 
persons  had  been  added  to  the  church,  mostly  upon 
profession  of  faith. 

During  the  ministry  of  Dr.  McEwen  the  members 
of  the  church  were  compiled  from  the  first  date  of 
the  records.  This  appears  to  have  been  the  first 
work  of  the  kind,  and  was  the  beginning  of  our 
present  printed  roll.  The  vote,  ordering  such  a 
compilation  was  passed  February  28,  1840,  and  was 
as  follows : 

Voted  that  William  P.  Cleaveland,  Ebenezer  Learned,  and 
Asa  Otis  be  and  they  are  hereby  appointed  a  committee  to 
make  an  accurate  list  of  all  those  who  have  been,  and  of 
those  who  now  are  members  of  this  church,  designating  so 
far  as  may  be  in  their  power  those  who  have  deceased,  and 
those  who  have  transferred  their  connection  from  this  to 
some  other  church. 

Voted  that  said  committee  be  desired  to  correspond  with 
and  request  every  member  of  this  church  who  now  resides  and 
for  more  than  one  year  past  has  resided  out  of  the  limits  of 
the  first  ecclesiastical  society  in  New  London  to  transfer  his 
connection  from  this  to  some  other  church. 

Voted  that  William  P.  Cleaveland  Junr,  William  P.  Cleave- 
land and  Ebenezer  Learned  be  and  they  hereby  are  appointed 
a  committee  to  take  into  consideration  the  subject  of  members 
of  this  church  who  remove  and  continue  out  of  the  limits 
of  the  first  ecclesiastical  society  in  New  London  for  the  period 
of  one  year  or  more  without  transferring  their  connection 
to  some  other  church  during  that  time  and  that  said  com- 
mittee report  thereon  to  some  subsequent  meeting  of  this 
church. 


mcewen's  ministry.  349 

This  committee  appear  to  have  made  their  report, 
and  the  following  votes  were  passed  by  the  church 
April  20,  1840. 

Voted,  That  whenever  a  member  of  this  Church  shall  re- 
move beyond  its  limits,  and  into  the  bounds  of  a  church  in 
fellowship  with  this,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  such  member  on 
such  removal,  or  immediately  thereafter,  to  ask  for  a  letter 
of  recommendation  from  this,  to  the  church  within  the  lim- 
its of  which,  he  or  she  shall  remove;  and  such  recommendation 
when  given,  shall  be  operative  for  one  year  only  from  its 
date,  and  shall  be  so  expressed  in  the  letter. 

Voted,  That  in  case  any  member  of  this  church  shall  here- 
after remove  out  of  its  limits,  and  into  the  limits  of  a  church 
in  fellowship  with  this,  and  shall  for  the  period  of  one  year 
after  such  removal,  omit  to  ask  for  a  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion, that  in  such  case  the  application  for  a  letter,  when  made, 
shall  be  submitted  to  the  church  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the 
same,  for  their  approval,  and  that  no  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion, under  such  circumstances,  shall  be  given  by  the  Pastor, 
until  the  church  have  approved  of  the  same. 

Several  copies  of  complaints,  made  against  mem- 
bers of  the  church  for  disorderly  conduct,  are  on 
file,  together  with  the  action  of  the  church  thereon. 
In  several  cases  the  person  was  excommunicated, 
in  others  restored  on  suitable  confession  of  the 
wrong  or  sin.  This  action  was  taken  because  peo- 
ple absented  themselves  from  the  church  and  its 
services  and  ordinances,  because  they  were  guilty 
of  conduct  not  becoming  in  a  child  of  God,  because 
of  unchastity  and  kindred  vices  and  sins.  These 
cases  show  that  the  discipline  of  the  church  was  not 
neglected. 


350       LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Dr.  McEwen's  record  of  baptisms  do  not  extend 
beyond  1821,  so  far  as  can  be  found.  Up  to  that 
year  he  had  administered  the  rite  to  two  hundred 
and  forty-eight  children  of  members  of  tlie  church.. 
None  were  admitted  to  the  ordinances  of  the  church 
under  the  provisions  of  the  halfway  covenant.  That 
compromise  method  of  admitting  to  the  privileges 
of  the  church  was  forever  done  away  during  his 
ministry. 

His  records  of  marriages  ends  with  1820.  Up  to 
that  date  he  had  joined  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  couples  in  marriage.  The  marriages  which 
he  performed  after  that  date  can  be  found  in  the 
town  records. 

The  fifty  years  of  his  ministry  witnessed  great 
moral  and  spiritual  changes  in  the  churches  of  the 
county.  He  says,  ''when  I  was  ordained  here,  in 
1806,  I  was  the  only  pastor  of  a  Congregational 
Church,  on  a  territory  in  Connecticut  of  fifty  miles 
in  length,  by  twelve  in  width.  Eleven  large  con- 
tiguous parishes,  stretching  from  Sterling  to  the 
seaboard  on  the  line  of  Rhode  Island,  thence  to  the 
western  boundary  of  East  Lyme,  thence  northward 
to  the  southern  line  of  Colchester,  were,  except 
New  London,  destitute  of  Congregational  minis- 
ters. *  *  *  What  rendered  this  desolation  deeply 
afflictive  and  appaling  was,  no  prospect,  nor  hope, 
existed,  that  any  of  the  parishes,  Stonington  ex- 
cepted, would  spontaneously,  and  unaided  obtain 
a  settled  minister."  In  1808  Rev.  Ira  Hart  was  set- 
tled at  Stonington  and  in  1811  Rev.  Timothy  Tut- 


mcewen's  ministry.  351 

tie  became  pastor  of  the  churches  in  Groton  and 
North  Groton,  or  Ledyard.  "In  all  the  residue  of 
the  wide  waste,"  continues  Dr.  McEwen,  "nothing 
indicated  resuscitation  or  improvement.  Wealth 
enough  there  was;  people  enough  there  were;  a 
meeting-house  stood  in  every  parish ;  but  men  of 
energy,  influence,  and  device,  to  step  forth  and  re- 
gain the  ministry  were  not  to  be  found.  Preaching 
of  many  kinds,  other  than  Congregational,  much 
of  it  transient  and  irregular,  swept  over  the  region. 
This  awful  desolation  was  the  result  of  the  fanatical 
ministry  of  Davenport,  and  his  coadjutors,  who  in- 
vaded these  churches  seventy  years  before." 

Whether  or  not  Dr.  McEwen  was  right  in  ascrib- 
ing the  condition  of  things  which  he  found  in  1806 
to  the  Separatist  movement  alone,  we  need  not  stop 
to  discuss.  It  doubtless  had  its  influence.  But  it 
seems  likely  that  the  tidal  wave  of  unbelief,  which 
swept  over  the  country  after  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  afifected  the  religious  life  of  the  churches 
of  Connecticut,  and  of  Yale  College,  is  also  to  be 
taken  into  account.  But  without  stopping  further 
to  speak  of  the  causes,  it  is  enough  to  say  that  "the 
few  pastors,  who  were  at  length  established  on  the 
outposts  of  this  waste,  were  impatient  of  this  rapid 
and  constant  degeneracy  toward  a  state  of  heathen- 
ism, in  a  land  of  Christianity."  Under  the  lead  of 
Dr.  McEwen,  in  the  old  parsonage  on  Main  street, 
steps  were  taken  one  evening  in  1815,  to  restore 
the  dilapidated  churches.  These  facts  in  the  re~ 
ligious  life  of  the  county  show  the  wide  and  spirit- 


352      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

ual  results  which  began  immediately  to  follow  the 
ministry  of  Dr.  McEwen,  and  point  to  the  influence 
which  this  church  had  under  his  lead,  in  bringing 
about  radical  changes  in  the  surrounding  commu- 
nities, and  in  lifting  the  moral  and  spiritual  tone  of 
the  churches  to  a  higher  pitch. 

Early  in  his  ministry  the  spirit  of  missions  began 
to  stir  in  the  hearts  of  his  people.  The  church  be- 
gan to  be  interested  in  the  spread  of  the  gospel  in 
all  the  earth.  Dr.  Field  said,  in  his  sermon  at  the 
funeral  of  Dr.  McEwen,  "in  the  early  part  of  Dr. 
McEwen's  ministry,  there  was  a  general  awaken- 
ing in  the  hearts  of  ministers  and  people  of  the  spir- 
it of  benevolence,  and  he  was  in  sympathy  with  the 
times.  All  those  grand  enterprises  for  the  dissem- 
ination of  the  principles  of  the  gospel  which  are  the 
glory  of  our  age,  were  started  within  the  period  of 
his  ministry." 

In  1811,  Harriet  Lathrop  came  to  New  London 
from  Norwich,  and  joined  this  church  by  letter. 
About  1819  she  married  Mr.  Winslow,  the  first  mis- 
sionary to  Ceylon.  She  had  received  decided  spirit- 
ual impulses  from  the  preaching  of  Dr.  McEwen. 
On  reaching  Ceylon  she  founded  the  Oodooville 
female  seminary,  whose  influence  among  the  young 
women  of  Ceylon  can  never  be  measured.  Its 
whole  life,  from  the  day  it  was  founded  till  the  pres- 
ent, has  been  peculiarly  marked  with  revivals.  In- 
directly this  school,  which  is  still  doing  its  work, 
was  a  seed  wafted  from  this  church  by  the  breath  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  to  take  root  on  those  distant  shores, 


mcewen's  ministry.  353 

and  spring  up  and  bear  fruit  for  God  till  the  end  of 
time. 

About  1 82 1  the  ladies  of  the  church  formed  a  mis- 
sionary society,  and  worked  for  Foreign  Missions. 
In  1824  there  is  an  acknowledgment,  in  the  Boston 
Panoplist  for  August,  of  a  donation  of  eighty-two 
dollars,  "from  the  Female  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  New  London,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Wolcott 
Treasurer;"  also  "from  a  female  friend  of  missions 
in  New  London  for  the  translations,  by  Gen.  Hun- 
tington." Still  later  another  gift  from  another  fe- 
male friend  of  missions  in  New  London  was  ac- 
knowledged. The  record  of  the  formation  of  the 
society  alluded  to  above,  and  which  is  still  in  exist- 
ence, is  as  follows :  "At  a  meeting  of  a  number  of 
ladies  of  New  London,  agreeable  to  previous  ar- 
rangement, it  was  resolved  to  form  themselves  into 
a  society  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  by  their  labors 
and  charities  firstly,  the  cause  of  Foreign  Missions, 
and  secondly,  to  administer  to  the  necessities  of  the 
deserving  poor  around  them."  A  constitution  was 
adopted,  and  September  28,  1821,  "the  following  of- 
ficers were  chosen  until  the  first  Wednesday  in  Oc- 
tober next.  Sophia  Richards,  Principal,  Fanny 
Smith,  Treasurer,  Ann  S.  Mumford,  Hannah  Miner, 
Susan  Coit,  Managers."  In  1826,  at  the  suggestion 
of  Mrs.  Winslow,some  ladies  in  New  London,  prob- 
ably the  ladies  of  the  sewing  society  organized  in 
1821,  assumed  the  support  of  a  pupil  in  the  Female 
Boarding  School  at  Oodooville,  and  gave  her  the 
name  of  Fanny  Coit,  after  a  young  lady  of  this 


354      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

church,  held  in  high  esteem  by  all,  who  had  died  a 
few  years  before.  This  Fanny  Coit  of  Ceylon  mar- 
ried a  native  named  Nathaniel  Niles,  who  became  a 
preacher.  Fanny  Coit  and  Nathaniel  Niles  of  Cey- 
lon, lived  together  sixty  years.  In  the  Missionary 
Herald  for  April,  1894,  Rev.  B.  H.  Rice,  native  pas- 
tor at  Batticotta,  Ceylon,  writes:  "Mr.  Nathaniel 
Niles,  a  graduate  of  Batticotta  Seminary,  and  a 
preacher,  and  Miss  Fanny  Coit,  a  graduate  of  Ood- 
ooville  Boarding  School,  were  united  in  marriage 
sixty  years  ago.  Both  of  them  have  now  gone  to 
their  rest;  theirchildren,  grandchildren,  great  grand- 
children, with  their  partners  in  life  now  number 
nearly  one  hundred  persons,  all  of  them  christians. 
A  good  number  of  the  male  members  of  this  fam- 
ily are  clergymen  in  the  service  of  Protestant  mis- 
sions ;  and  others  are  laymen,  and  one  of  them  is 
a  leading  Christian  Lawyer  in  Jaffna."  Thus  the 
early  labors  of  the  Ladies'  Missionary  Society,  form- 
ed in  1 82 1,  are  today  bearing  fruit,  and  the  influence 
of  Dr.  McEwen's  ministry  is  still  felt. 

Asa  Otis  joined  this  church  in  1834.  His  mu- 
nificent gift,  of  over  a  million  dollars,  to  the  treas- 
ury of  the  American  Board,  has  been  spoken  of  in 
a  previous  chapter.  It  put  him,  and  the  church  of 
which  he  was  an  officer,  in  the  front  rank  of  those 
who  have  as  yet  given  to  this  cause.  The  influence 
of  Dr.  McEwen's  ministry  bore  fruit  in  this  practical 
way,  and  will  continue  to  do  so,  till  the  earth  is  ''full 
of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover 
the  sea." 


mcewen's  ministry.  355 

The  Sabbath  School  work  of  the  church,  and  in- 
deed of  the  whole  town,  dates  back  to  1816.  July 
28th  of  that  year  was  its  natal  day,  as  a  letter  of 
Miss  Fanny  Coit,  one  of  the  early  leaders  in  the 
movement,  shows.  At  first  Dr.  McEwen  was  in 
doubt  about  its  wisdom,  and  did  not  give  it  his 
hearty  support.  Dr.  Field  says,  "he  was  fearful  at 
first  that  its  teachings  would  be  made  a  substitute 
for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  household,  which 
he  believed  to  be  the  divine  institution  for  the  train- 
ing of  the  young.  But  he  came  to  see  its  necessity 
for  those  who  have  no  christian  instruction  in  the 
family,  and  the  aid  it  might  afford  to  others,  and 
he  became  its  friend."  Hon.  Henry  P.  Haven,  in 
an  address,  in  1871,  said,  ''Two  serious  objections 
came  up  to  the  minds  of  many  earnest  conscientious 
christians.  Would  not  this  lead  to  the  neglect  of 
family  religious  instruction  on  the  Sabbath ;  and 
would  not  the  holy  day  be  desecrated,  especially  as 
secular  as  well  as  religious  instruction  was  to  be 
imparted?  Time  dissipated  these  honest  fears,  and, 
persevering  through  evil  and  through  good  report, 
these  godly  women  were  permitted  to  rejoice  in  the 
work  which  God  had  enabled  them  to  do,  and  with 
thankful  hearts  to  welcome  their  timid  and  doubtful 
fellow  disciples,  and  their  honored  Pastor  as  faith- 
ful helpers  in  this  work  of  the  Lord." 

The  Sabbath  School  has  come  to  be  so  large  a 
part  of  the  work  of  the  church,  that  its  introduction 
into  New  London  is  an  interesting  chapter  in  its  re- 
ligious history.     At  first  it  was  a  movement  dis- 


356      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

tinct  from  the  church,  but  soon  became  a  recog- 
nized part  of  it.  To  Miss  Matilda  Wright  belongs 
the  honor  of  originating  the  first  Sunday  School  in 
New  London.  She  lived  in  a  small  house  on  Main 
street,  just  south  of  Douglas  street.  She  kept 
a  small  private  school.  She  was  full  of  christian 
zeal  and  benevolent  enterprise.  Her  doors  were 
ever  open  to  the  praying  men  and  women  of  her 
time,  on  the  morning  of  the  Lord's  day,  before  the 
hour  of  service.  General  Huntington  almost  alone 
among  the  men  could  be  seen  going  to  this  place 
where  prayer  was  offered  for  the  services  of  the 
Lord's  house. 

In  1815  Miss  Wright  visited  New  York.  While 
there  she  became  deeply  interested  in  the  work  of 
gathering  the  poor,  neglected  children  for  instruc- 
tion on  the  Christian  Sabbath.  On  her  return  she 
invited  some  children  to  come  together  for  religious 
instruction.  The  first  gathering  was  on  July  28, 
1816,  in  Miss  Wright's  house  on  Main  street. 
About  thirty  scholars  were  present  at  this  first  ses- 
sion. Benches  were  brought  from  her  school  which 
was  a  few  doors  below.  Mrs.  Griswold,  who  was 
connected  with  the  school  as  Miss  Perkins,  wrote 
in  1 871,  "Miss  Wright's  school  consisted  of  very 
poor  children  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes ;  the  ex- 
penses were  borne  by  private  contributions  princi- 
pally." 

Five  ladies  were  the  original  teachers.  They 
were  Miss  Matilda  Wright,  Miss  Fanny  Coit,  Miss 
Hannah  Miner,  Miss  Frances  Chew,  and  another 


mcewen's  ministry.  357 

whose  name  is  not  given.  Miss  Susan  Coit,  Miss 
Catherine  Edgerton,  Miss  Hannah  Wheat  and  Miss 
Nancy  Starr  were  also  teachers  during  the  first 
year.  The  last  two  were  Episcopalians.  Children 
were  gathered  from  all  the  city  as  far  as  Green  Har- 
bor. Sessions  were  held  before  the  morning  service 
and  after  the  afternoon  service  of  the  church. 
There  were  no  books,  no  library  and  no  such  lesson 
helps  as  we  now  have.  Cards  and  the  shorter  Cate- 
chism were  used  to  teach  the  children.  Many 
whole  chapters  of  the  Bible  were  learned.  Hymns 
were  also  committed  to  memory.  The  lesson  was 
such  as  the  teacher  pleased  to  give.  Usually  the 
pupils  attended  church  in  the  morning,  coming  in 
from  the  session  of  the  school.  The  teachers  used 
to  sit  with  them  in  the  gallery.  Miss  Fanny  Coit 
wrote,  "the  most  unpleasant  part  is  sitting  with 
them  at  church.  The  care  of  such  ungoverned  chil- 
dren distracts  attention.  Our  sexton  takes  the  bo^s 
under  his  care,  which  is  a  great  relief.  Two  of  the 
instructors  sit  with  the  girls.  I  hope  we  shall  get 
them  so  trained  that  with  the  help  of  cards  of  invita- 
tion, which  we  have  not  yet  obtained,  we  may  find 
them  less  trouble."  The  school  did  its  work  for 
"some  time  without  books  as  rewards ;  merely  lit- 
tle cards  with  a  verse  rewarded  the  little  learners." 
After  the  school  had  been  in  operation  for  some 
time  Miss  Wright  visited  Baltimore.  While  there 
she  saw  the  workings  of  Sabbath  School  libraries, 
and  wrote  home  that  the  school  in  New  London 
must  have  a  library.     Mrs.  Linsley,  who  was  Miss 


358      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Hannah  Miner,  one  of  the  original  teachers,  wrote 
in  i87i,"it  seemed  impossible,  for  we  collected  a  few 
dollars  only,  for  the  purchasing  of  the  cards  and 
catechisms  from  individuals  favoring  the  cause. 
But  we  talked  of  it.  The  proposition  reached  the 
ears  of  one  of  our  benevolent  citizens,  Mr.  Ezra 
Chappell,  and  he  sent  us  five  dollars.  It  seemed  as 
if  it  dropped  from  heaven  to  encourage  us  to  go 
forward.  It  brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  the  receiv- 
ers ;  so  great  seemed  the  gift  of  five  dollars  in  those 
days  for  Sunday  Schools.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  the  Sabbath  School  library." 

A  number  of  Bibles,  three  or  four  of  which  are 
still  in  existence  were  presented  to  the  school  in 
1819.  In  them  is  written,  evidently  by  the  hand  of 
Dr.  McEwen,  this  inscription :  "from  the  Connect- 
icut Bible  Society — to  be  improved  in  the  Female 
Sabbath  School  in  New  London,  July  15,  1819." 

From  this  it  appears  that  a  similar  school  for  boys 
had  been  opened.  Mr.  Haven  says  that  this  was 
done  about  1817,  and  that  it  was  "held  in  the  old 
female  Academy  in  Greene  street.  Five  or  six 
young  men,  among  them  George  Starr  and  Robert 
Coit  were  teachers."  This  seems  to  have  been  con- 
tinued till  1 81 9,  when  the  school  for  girls  and  this 
school  for  boys  were  united,  and  the  sessions  were 
held  in  the  Conference  House  of  the  First  Church. 

At  first,  when  the  Sabbath  School  was  opened,  it 
embraced  both  sexes,  and  increased  rapidly.  Mrs. 
Linsley  wrote,  in  1871,  "the  school  increased,  larger 
boys  and  girls  came  in  from  time  to  time  *  *  * 


mcewen's  ministry.  359 

At  one  time  we  had  large  boys."  These  large  boys 
were  "smacksmen's  sons  from  the  Harbor's  mouth. 
*  *  *  They  did  not  continue  long.  The  school 
prospered  and  gained  in  favor.  We  soon  left  the 
small  room  and  the  school  was  held  at  a  hall  called 
Badet's."  It  was  owned  by  Mr.  Thomas  S.  Badet, 
and  stood  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  dwelling 
of  Mr.  Henry  Badet.  The  school  soon  outgrew 
Badet's  hall,  and  was  held  in  the  Court  House. 
Mrs.  Ellen  E.  Griswold  said  that  after  the  school 
had  become  too  large  for  the  hall,  application  was 
made  for  the  use  of  the  Court  House.  The  author- 
ities, the  County  Judge  and  the  Mayor  of  the  City, 
gave  a  guarded  consent,  saying,  to  quote  Mrs.  Gris- 
wold's  words,  ''that  they  had  no  right  to  give  or  re- 
fuse permission,  and  so  with  female  presumption 
we  entered  there,  and  from  that  time  throve." 

This  was  in  1819.  There  was  no  way  to  heat  the 
Court  House.  The  approach  of  the  colder  season 
raised  the  question  of  warming  it.  This  reason,  to- 
gether with  the  growth  of  the  school,  led  those  in- 
terested in  it,  to  make  application  for  permission 
to  hold  its  sessions  in  the  Conference  House  of  this 
church,  which  had  just  been  completed.  Mrs.  Gris- 
wold says  in  her  letter  of  1871,  "when  the  Confer- 
ence Room  was  built  the  school  had  increased  so 
that  we  were  crowded  and  uncomfortable  to  the  dis- 
advantage of  the  scholars,  and  we  applied  for  per- 
mission to  use  that  room  but  were  refused  on  the 
ground  that  we  were  dirty  and  would  be  likely  to  de- 
face the  edifice."     The  refusal  must  have  been  the 


360      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

act  of  the  committee,  for  the  only  vote  of  the  so- 
ciety, about  the  matter,  is  that  of  July  30,  1819, 
granting  the  request. 

The  school  was  now  comfortably  fixed  in  winter 
quarters.  An  immense  box-stove  was  in  the  Con- 
ference House,  capable  of  receiving  large  sticks  of 
wood,  and  throwing  out  sufficient  heat.  When  the 
school  began  its  sessions  here  it  had  on  its  rolls  the 
names  of  three  hundred  females.  Mrs.  B.  P.  Mc- 
Ewen,  who  was  one  of  the  pupils,  said  that  there 
were  but  few  boys,  and  only  two  or  three  male 
teachers. 

The  school  seems  to  have  been  supported  by  sub- 
scriptions solicited  from  the  people  of  the  city.  For 
Mrs.  Griswold,  in  her  letter  of  1871  says,  "about 
this  time,  I  think,  in  the  fall  of  1819  we  felt  strong 
enough  to  invite  notice,  and  requested  Mr.  McEwen 
to  visit  the  school,  and  draw  up  a  subscription  to 
gain  assistance  in  rent,  fuel,  books,  and  some  cloth- 
ing. If  I  recollect  rightly  Miss  Coit  and  myself  in 
making  the  first  collection  called  upon  other  denom- 
inations and  were  encouragingly  received."  The 
school  removed  to  the  church  in  the  early  twenties. 
For  many  years,  Mrs.  McEwen  said,  the  school  was 
very  large,  and  continued  so  until  about  1830,  when 
similar  schools  were  formed  in  the  other  churches. 

If  the  school  for  boys  was  consolidated  with  Miss 
Wright's  school,  on  removal  to  the  Conference 
House  in  1819,  as  Mr.  Haven  believes,  another 
seems  to  have  been  originated  in  1821.  For  the 
following  agreement,  signed  by  ten  men,  points  to 


■V. 


mcewen's  ministry.  361 

such  a  school.  "We  whose  names  are  undersigned, 
feeUng  it  important  that  a  male  Sabbath  School 
should  be  established  in  this  place,  do  agree  to  unite 
for  the  purpose  of  instructing  such  children  as  may 
be  induced  to  attend  during  the  present  season. 
Punctuality  and  regularity  being  the  life  of  all  such 
institutions,  we  do  agree  to  attend  said  school  reg- 
ularly,  as  long  as  it  shall  continue,  both  in  the  morn- 
ing and  afternoon  of  each  Sabbath ;  unless  neces- 
sarily prevented,  and  then  will,  if  practicable,  provide 
a  substitute.  We  further  agree  that  we  will  be 
punctual  in  attending  at  the  hours  prescribed,  in 
order  that  there  may  be  no  interruption  of  the  du- 
ties of  the  school.  New  London,  nth  of  June, 
1 82 1."  This  agreement  was  signed  by  Robert  Coit, 
Erastus  Smith,  Lyman  AUyn,  W.  P.  Cleaveland, 
Junr,  Henry  Smith,  Thomas  Huntington,  Wm.  G. 
Watrous,  Thomas  S.  Badet,  R.  K.  Oilman,  Jared 
Wilbur.  How  long  this  school  continued  a  separ- 
ate affair,  we  do  not  know.  It  seems  probable  that 
Ezra  Chappell,  whose  interest  in  boys  brought  him 
into  the  Sabbath  School  work  about  1820,  was  the 
superintendent  of  this  school,  formed  in  1821. 
These  two  schools  seem  soon  to  have  come  under 
one  management ;  possibly  when  the  church  was 
occupied  for  the  purpose. 

A  document,  yellow  with  age,  is  in  existence, 
containing  the  constitution  of  the  New  London 
Sabbath  School  of  that  time.  There  is  no  date,  but 
evidently  it  belongs  to  a  period  subseqeunt  to  1816, 


362       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

if  not  after  1821  and  before  1830.     It  reads  as  fol- 
lows : 

Art.  1st.  This  society  shall  be  called  The  New  London 
Sabbath  School  Society. 

2nd.  The  oflaicers  of  this  society  shall  be  a  superintendent, 
secretary,  treasurer,  and 

3d.  A  visiting  committee  shall  be  composed  of  eight  mem- 
bers of  the  society. 

4th.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  superintendent  to  take  the 
general  management  of  the  school,  divide  it  into  classes,  and 
appoint  teachers. 

5th.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  secretary  to  keep  a  record 
■of  the  doings  of  the  society,  to  receive  and  answer  all  letters 
and  communications  to  forward  the  regular  report  and  ap- 
plications for  books,  etc. 

6th.  The  treasurer  shall  receive  such  donations  and  other 
funds  as  may  belong  to  the  society  and  pay  the  secretary's 
order  therefor  when  approved  by  the  superintendent. 

7th.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  officers  and  teachers  to 
-assemble  together  on  the  second  Monday  evening  of  every 
month  for  mutual  encouragement  and  improvement. 

8th.  As  the  welfare  of  this  school  depends  under  God  upon 
the  promptitude,  zeal  and  perseverance  of  the  teachers,  they 
shall  consider  themselves  bound  to  observe  this  constitution 
and  such  rules  as  shall  be  from  time  to  time  adopted,  to  be 
diligent  and  punctual  in  their  attendance  at  the  meetings  of 
the  society  and  at  the  school  and  by  all  proper  means  to  pro- 
mote the  best  interests  of  both. 

9th.  A  special  meeting  of  the  members  may  be  called  at 
any  time  in  order  to  supply  vacancies  which  may  occur. 

From  this  constitution  it  will  appear  that  this 
school  was  an  organization  outside  the  church,  as 
was  often  the  case  at  that  time.  How  long  this 
constitution  remained  in  force  we  do  not  know,  but 


mcewen's  ministry.  363 

probably  not  after  separate  schools  were  formed  in 
connection  with  the  various  churches.  The  rules 
for  governing  the  society  were  as  follows  : 

1st.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  teachers  to  attend  the  school 
precisely  at  the  ringing  of  the  first  bell  every  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, and  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  afternoon  ser- 
vice. 

2d.  The  school  shall  be  opened  with  prayer  during  which 
time  no  person  shall  be  admitted,  and  shall  be  closed  with 
prayer,  an  address  or  singing. 

3d.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  teachers  to  hear  the  les- 
sons of  the  scholars,  and  keep  a  record  in  their  class-books 
of  the  punctuality  of  attendance,  and  the  number  of  verses 
learned  by  each  scholar,  to  see  that  the  children  do  not  re- 
cite so  loud  as  to  interrupt  each  other;  to  use  all  the  means 
in  their  power  to  secure  their  confidence  and  affection,  and  to 
converse  with  them  in  a  plain  familiar  manner  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  lessons,  and  of  religion. 

4th.  The  classes  in  ordinary  cases  shall  consist  of  eight 
scholars. 

5th.  Those  teachers,  who  are  absent  from  the  meetings  of 
the  society,  and  from  the  school  on  the  Sabbath,  must  ren- 
der a» satisfactory  excuse,  or  have  a  substitute. 

6th.  If  any  of  the  children  are  absent  from  the  school  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Teachers  to  call  upon  the  parents, 
•during  the  week,  and  learn  the  reason  of  their  absence. 

7th.  In  the  recitations  the  children  shall  be  restricted  to 
24  verses. 

8th.  No  teacher  shall  have  liberty  to  dismiss  a  scholar 
from  the  school. 

9th.  No  teacher  will  leave  their  classes  to  converse  with 
other  teachers,  or  with  visitors,  until  the  school  is  closed. 

10th.  No  scholar  shall  leave  a  class,  for  any  purpose  what- 
ever, without  leave  from  the  teacher  of  the  class,  or  the  sup- 
erintendent. 


364       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

From  Mrs.  Linsley's  letter,  which  has  been  re- 
ferred to  before,  we  learn  who  were  the  superintend- 
ents who  immediately  followed  Miss  Matilda 
Wright.  She  says,  Fanny  Coit  "was  our  first  and 
much  loved  superintendent.  After  her  was  Mrs. 
L.  Learned,  then  myself  until  I  left  in  1825."  Mrs. 
B.  P.  McEwen  said  that  Miss  Susan  Coit  followed 
Mrs.  Linsley,  and  was  superintendent  until  she 
married  Professor  Kellogg  in  1826.  She  appears 
to  have  been  followed  by  Mrs.  Ebenezer  Learned. 
Then  came  in  succession.  Miss  Eunice  Law,  John 
W.  Tibbits,  James  P.  Bradley,  Mr.  Cushman,  Mr. 
L.  L.  Camp,  Joshua  C.  Learned,  W.  W.  Sheffield, 
Rev.  T.  P.  Field,  Charles  F.  Huntington,  W.  W. 
Sheffield,  Herbert  J.  Crocker,  John  G.  Crump,  Rev. 

E.  W.  Bacon,  Homer  R.  Stoughton,  Hon.  George 

F.  Tinker,  who  was  elected  in  1884. 

During  the  superintendency  of  Mr.  Cushman  and 
Mr.  Camp  the  school  sat  in  the  galleries  of  the  old 
church,  and  the  superintendent  stood  in  the  seats 
of  the  singers  to  direct  the  opening  exercises.  La- 
ter the  whole  school  was  transferred  to  the  body  of 
the  house.  The  school  continued  to  meet  in  the 
church  until  it  was  moved  into  the  Parish  House. 

Before  leaving  this  subject  it  will  be  in  place  to 
say  that  the  present  primary  department  of  the  Sun- 
day School  was  organized  by  Miss  Adelaide  R. 
Lockwood,  June  12,  1859.  It  met  in  the  basement 
of  the  old  grammar  school  building  until  an  addi- 
tion for  its  accommodation  was  made  to  the  Con- 
ference House.     Miss  Lockwood  remained  the  su- 


mcewen's  ministry.  365 

perintendent  until  she  resigned  in  1892,  a  period  of 
thirty-three  years.  The  original  class  was  thirteen. 
She  had  under  instruction  one  thousand  and  ninety. 
Of  these,  fifty-eight  had  joined  the  church,  forty- 
seven  had  died  and  seventy-two  had  married  in 
1894.  Such  is  the  story  of  the  origin  of  Sabbath 
schools  in  New  London. 

In  1 819  Harriett  Lewis,  widow  of  Mr.  James 
Lewis  gave  four  silver  cups  to  the  church.  In  the 
same  year  Miss  Sophia  Richards  and  Elizabeth 
More  Huntington,  each  gave  one.  These,  with 
those  given  previously,  are  still  in  use. 

The  records  of  a  church,  are  a  part  of  its  history. 
Those  of  this  church  had  at  no  time  been  fully  kept, 
except  during  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Channing,  who 
seems  to  have  had  a  habit  of  keeping  records  quite 
in  contrast  to  those  who  had  preceded  him,  and 
Dr.  McEwen's  practice  does  not  seem  to  have  dif- 
fered materially  from  theirs  in  this  respect.  There 
are  but  thirteen  records  of  action  by  the  church 
made  during  this  long  pastorate.  Either  the  church 
did  very  little  business,  or  records  were  neglected. 
There  is  evidence  that  both  were  true.  Some  of 
the  principal  records  were  the  vote  in  1807  to  adopt 
Dwight's  Psalm  book;  the  vote  in  1810  to  restore 
to  use  the  ancient  creed  and  covenant ;  votes  at  var- 
ious times  to  send  a  delegate  to  assist  in  the  ordina- 
tion of  pastors,  as  for  example  the  ordination  of  Mr. 
Joshua  Huntington  as  assistant  pastor  of  the  Old 
South  Church,  Boston,  December  3,  1809,  and 
votes  at  different  times  to  elect  deacons.     May  28, 


366       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

1823  it  was  "voted  that  henceforth  the  members  of 
this  church  hold  themselves  obligated,  on  every 
Sabbath,  severally  to  deposit  in  the  charity  box  for 
the  poor  of  the  church  not  less  than  one  cent,"  a 
vote  which  explains  the  poor  box  at  the  door  of  the 
church,  which,  at  the  present  day,  some  of  the  older 
members  rarely  pass  without  compliance  with  this 
ancient  vote.  January  3,  1832  it  was  'Voted  that 
members  of  churches  in  fellowship  with  this  church 
resident  here,  have  the  privilege  of  occasional  com- 
munion with  us  at  the  Lord's  table  for  the  term  of 
one  year  and  no  longer,  without  becoming  regular 
members  of  this  church" — a  quiet  hint  which  ought 
to  have  had  the  desired  effect.  On  the  same  date 
it  was  'Voted  also  that  members  of  this  church  who 
shall  remove  their  residence  beyond  the  bounds  of 
this  ecclesiastical  society,  are  under  obligation  to 
take  letters  for  the  removal  of  their  relation  from 
this  to  some  other  church,  within  one  year  after  the 
commencement  of  their  absence  from  us,  unless  they 
render  to  this  church  satisfactory  reasons  for  not 
doing  so" — a  rule  still  practically  in  use.  August 
4,  1835  it  was  'Voted  that  the  pastor  of  this  church 
grant  letters  of  dismission  and  recommendation  to 
such  members  as  shall  apply  for  the  same ;  they  be- 
ing in  regular  standing ;  for  the  purpose  of  connect- 
ing themselves  with  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  in  this  city,  in  the  same  manner,  and  on  the 
same  terms  as  has  heretofore  been  practiced  in  rela- 
tion to  such  members  as  have  applied  for  like  letters 
on  their  removal  without  the  territorial  limits  of 


mcewen's  ministry.  367 

this  Ecclesiastical  Society."  There  is  no  record  of 
the  dismissal  of  those  who  went  out  from  the  First 
Church,  to  form  the  Second  Congregational 
Church.  But  we  know  that  such  letters  were  grant- 
ed. For  the  foregoing  vote  points  to  this  fact.  No 
record  is  to  be  found  of  Dr.  McEwen's  request  for 
dismissal  in  1853,  nor  of  the  letter  in  which  the  re- 
quest was  made,  nor  of  the  vote  of  the  church  ask- 
ing him  to  reconsider  it.  But  we  know  from  his 
letter  of  January  9,  1854,  addressed  to  the  society, 
that  such  a  request  was  made  and  such  action  was 
taken.  A  pastorate  so  long  must  have  been  rich 
in  materials  for  its  history,  a  good  deal  of  which 
has  not  been  preserved. 

In  December  1833  Dr.  McEwen  preached  a  ser- 
mon whose  text  was  Luke  16 :  26,  upon  the  fixed 
gulf.  It  would  be  regarded  as  pretty  strong  meat 
in  these  days.  Doubtless  it  was  so  regarded  then. 
The  proposition  of  the  sermon  was  *'a  change  from 
the  condition  of  the  miserable,  to  the  condition  of 
the  happy  in  the  world  to  come,  will  be  for  every 
human  sufferer  in  that  world  impossible."  The  ser- 
mon is  interesting  both  as  a  sample  of  the  preach- 
ing and  the  theological  thought  sixty-five  years  ago, 
and  as  pointing  to  a  religious  movement  which  re- 
sulted in  the  formation  of  an  Universalist  Society 
in  New  London  in  1835.  It  is  not  certain,  but  it 
seems  very  probable  that  the  sermon  alluded  to  was 
called  forth  by  the  agitation  of  the  question  of  uni- 
versal salvation.  Although  the  Universalist  So- 
ciety was  organized  in  1835,  the  church  was  not  or- 


368        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

ganized  till  1843.  Their  first  meeting  house  was 
built  and  dedicated  March  20,  1844.  In  1849  it  was 
sold  to  the  Huntington  Street  Baptist  Society. 
Their  last  house  of  worship  dedicated  September 
19,  1882,  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Brain- 
erd  Lodge  of  Masons.  The  Universalist  Society 
existed  till  January  i,  1894,  when  it  disbanded,  and 
conveyed  its  property  to  the  Universalist  Society 
of  Connecticut. 

In  the  same  year,  1835,  the  Second  Congregation- 
al Church  colonized  from  the  First  Church.  The 
enterprise  of  building  a  second  Congregational 
meeting-house  was  inaugurated  January  28,  and  was 
consummated  February  9,  1833  by  eight  persons 
who  signed  an  agreement  to  take  the  responsibility 
and  bear  the  expense  of  the  same  in  proportionate 
shares.  This  new  house  of  worship  stood  at  the 
corner  of  Jay  and  Huntington  streets.  It  was  com- 
pleted August  3,  1834,  and  as  we  have  already  seen, 
was  first  occupied  for  six  months  by  the  First 
Church,  during  extensive  repairs  on  its  house  of 
worship.  The  Second  Congregational  Society  was 
formed  April  14,  1835.  The  proprietors  of  the  new 
house  of  worship  gave  it  to  the  new  society.  It 
was  dedicated  April  2^^,  1835.  Rev.  E.  W.  Bald- 
win D.  D.,  afterwards  President  of  Wabash  College, 
preached  the  dedicatory  sermon,  and  Dr.  McEwen 
offered  the  prayer  of  dedication.  The  following 
Sunday,  April  26,  the  new  congregation  held  its 
first  Sabbath  service  in  the  new  edifice.  Rev.  Jos- 
eph Hurlbut  preached  in  the  morning.     His  text 


mcewen's  ministry.  369 

was  "Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things,"  2  Cor.  2 : 
i6.  In  the  afternoon  Rev.  Daniel  Huntington 
preached.  His  text  was,  "take  heed  therefore  how 
ye  hear,"  Luke  8:  i8.  The  same  day  a  Sabbath 
School  was  organized  with  fifteen  teachers  and  for- 
ty-two scholars.  April  2i  nineteen  persons  who 
had  been  dismissed  by  letter  from  the  First  Church 
for  the  purpose  of  being  constituted  into  a  new  Con- 
gregational Church,  met  and  adopted  the  confession 
and  covenant  used  by  the  parent  church.  Tuesday, 
April  28,  they  were  organized  into  a  church  by  an 
Ecclesiastical  Council,  of  which  Dr.  McEwen  was 
moderator.  Thus,  under  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Ewen, the  First  Church  brought  forth  another 
daughter,  the  fourth. 

These  are  the  principal  facts  relating  to  the 
church  during  the  long  and  able  pastorate  of  Dr. 
McEwen.  He  served  the  church  at  a  time  when  a 
parish  settlement  was  regarded  somewhat  in  the 
light  of  a  marriage,  "and  what  God  had  joined  man 
could  not  lightly  put  asunder." 


XIII. 

THK    MINISTRY   OF   ABEI.   MCEWEN,    D.    D.; 

THE    MAN. 


Abel  McEwen  was  born  in  Winchester,  Litchfield 
County,  February  13,  1780.  His  great  grandfather, 
Robert  McCune  of  Dumfries,  Scotland,  was  a  non- 
juring  covenanter.  He  joined  the  Cameronians. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Bothwell  Bridge  which  was  fought  between  the 
Covenanters  and  the  forces  of  the  King,  under  com- 
mand of  the  Duke  of  Monmouth,  June  22,  1679. 
Young  McCune  was  at  last  taken  prisoner,  but  was 
released  upon  condition  that  he  would  leave  the 
country  for  the  colonies.  He  entered  a  protest 
against  the  wrong  of  banishment  for  scruples  of 
conscience.  But  it  was  in  vain.  In  1685  ^^^  ^"^^^ 
sent,  with  others,  in  a  ship  of  fifty  guns,  by  the  gov- 
ernment of  Scotland,  to  colonize  the  Isthmus  of 
Darien.  But  the  captain  died  soon  after  the  voy- 
age began,  and  the  passengers  brought  the  ship 
to  Perth-Amboy  in  New  Jersey,  where  they  landed 
on  the  eighteenth  of  December.  Robert  McCune 
came  to  Stratford,  Connecticut,  February  18,  1686. 
These  facts  are  recorded  in  his  diary ;  also  the  fact 
that  June  30,  1695,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  Wilcoc- 


mcewen's  ministry.  371 

son  in  Stratford.  It  is  said  that  he  walked  from 
Amboy  to  Stratford.  He  died  in  1740  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight  years. 

One  of  his  sons  was  Gershom,  who  also  had  a  son 
who  was  named  Robert,  after  his  grandfather,  the 
hero  of  Bothwell  Bridge.  This  Robert  McCune, 
or  McEwen,  as  the  name  came  to  be  spelled,  in  1766 
or  1767,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  went,  with  axe  in 
hand,  into  what  is  now  the  town  of  Winchester,  in 
the  northern  part  of  Litchfield  County.  Here  he 
took  up  a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres,  made  a  clear- 
ing, built  for  himself  a  house,  and  in  1771  returned 
to  Stratford  to  take  back  Miss  Jerusha  Doolittle 
as  his  wife.  She  is  said  to  have  been  a  beautiful 
girl  of  seventeen,  and  of  a  cheerful  and  resolute 
spirit.  Robert  took  his  young  wife  on  horseback, 
on  a  pillion  behind  him,  and  rode  forty  miles  a  day 
to  their  new  home  in  the  wilderness.  It  is  said 
that  the  young  bride  bore  the  journey  bravely,  till 
at  sunset,  one  day,  they  entered  a  deep  gorge,  over- 
shadowed with  the  dense  foliage  of  hemlocks,  when 
she  cried  out  in  alarm,  and  in  faltering  tones,  "where 
are  we?"  Her  husband  replied,  "we  are  just  there,'* 
and  putting  his  horse  to  a  rapid  pace  up  the  hill, 
he  soon  brought  his  wife  out  into  a  cheerful  clear- 
ing, in  the  midst  of  which  stood  the  house  of  which 
she  was  to  be  the  future  mistress. 

Previous  to  the  coming  of  his  wife  Robert  Mc- 
Ewen had  attended  church  in  Norfolk.  On  a  leaf 
of  what  evidently  was  his  journal  is  this  record : 
''July  ye  17,  in  yr  1770,  heard  ye  famous  Mr.  White- 


372      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

field  preach  at  Norfolk,  which  i  hope  was  a  word 
in  season  to  me."  This  may  have  been  the  date  of 
his  conversion,  or  of  his  full  establishment  in  the 
faith,  and  this  may  have  been  his  record  and  ac- 
knowledgment of  it.  The  church  at  Winchester 
was  organized  October  30,  1771,  and  Robert  Mc- 
Ewen  was  one  of  its  original  members.  He  was 
chosen  one  of  its  deacons  in  1799.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  men  chosen  by  the  town  to  represent  it  in 
the  state  legislature.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
state  convention  that  signed  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States.  He  was  prominent  in  all  the  affairs 
of  the  town  and  of  the  church.  He  was  a  man  of 
deep  piety,  of  unbending  integrity,  of  sound  judg- 
ment, of  a  strong  mind,  and  was  much  given  to 
thought,  reflection  and  prayer.  He  was  often  heard 
praying,  it  is  said,  while  following  the  plow.  He 
was  frugal  and  industrious.  He  had  a  large  fund 
of  anecdotes  gathered  from  his  wide  reading,  and 
he  knew  how  to  tell  them.  He  was  a  great  reader, 
especially  of  history,  and  had  a  memory  retentive 
of  events  and  dates  of  ancient  and  modern  times. 
He  was,  therefore,  a  man  of  wide  information,  who 
did  not  allow  the  farm-life  to  narrow  the  range  of  his 
knowledge  and  enquiry.  His  wife  possessed  simi- 
lar qualities,  and  was  of  a  very  amiable  disposition. 
They  had  three  children ;  Sarah,  who  married  Sol- 
omon Rockwell  of  Winsted,  Abbie,  who  married 
James  Beebe  of  Winchester,  and  Abel,  who  was 
their  youngest  child,  and  only  son. 


mcewen's  ministry.  373 

The  son  inherited  his  father's  mental  quaHties, 
and  bodily  stature,  and  his  mother's  cheerful  and 
resolute  spirit.  He  was  tall,  possessed  of  keen  and 
quick  perception,  was  of  a  buoyant  spirit,  and  was 
not  long  in  mastering  such  instruction  as  the  district 
schools  of  those  days  afforded.  In  classes  of  boys 
of  twice  his  age,  he  usually  stood  at  the  head — a 
prophecy  of  the  scholarly  rank  he  would  hold  on 
graduating  from  Yale  College.  In  his  early  youth 
he  enjoyed  a  winter  in  the  Morris  Academy  at 
Litchfield  South  Farms.  While  here  he  composed 
several  orations,  which  gave  promise  of  those  pow- 
ers of  writing  and  speaking  which  he  developed  la- 
ter to  an  unusual  degree.  His  own  mind  was 
strongly  bent  on  acquiring  a  liberal  education.  A 
new  ambition  sprung  up  within  him.  He  indulged 
hopes  which  outran  the  routine  of  life  on  the  farm. 
Visions  of  distinction  as  a  jurist  filled  his  mind. 
His  heart  was  set  on  the  career  and  profession  of  a 
lawyer.  If  his  hopes  had  been  permitted  to  reach 
realization,  the  rank  which  he  took  as  a  scholar  jus- 
tifies us  in  believing  that  he  would  have  been  one  of 
the  ablest  and  most  brilliant  jurists  of  his  times. 
But,  while  his  father  purposed  to  give  him  a  good 
education,  he  contemplated  nothing  beyond  what 
could  be  had  at  the  academy.  Least  of  all  did  he 
sympathize  with  his  son's  legal  ambitions.  So 
when  young  Abel  left  the  academy,  in  the  spring, 
his  education  was  considered  finished  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  The  sequel  proved,  however,  that  it  was 
not,  and  that,  if  he  was  not  to  enter  the  law,  neither 
was  he  to  follow  the  life  of  the  farm. 


"374      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Obedient  to  his  father's  commands,  as  was  the 
custom  then,  the  young  man  dutifully  gave  up  his 
ambitions,  abandoned  all  hope  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, returned  to  the  farm,  and  took  up  its  duties 
again.  This  life  gave  him  that  hardy  constitution, 
which  stood  him  in  good  stead  during  all  his  sub- 
sequent career.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  many  of 
the  men,  who  have  figured  conspicuously  in  the  af- 
fairs of  church  and  state,  had  their  start  in  life  upon 
the  farm,  where  they  acquired  that  physical  and 
moral  robustness  which  fitted  them  to  be  leaders. 
So  thoroughly  did  young  McEwen  become  initia- 
ted into  the  farm-life  and  so  expert  did  be  become 
in  its  conduct,  that  his  father,  called  away  on  public 
business,  often  left  the  whole  care  in  the  hands  of 
his  young  son,  and  on  his  return  he  found  the  work 
well  and  faithfully  done. 

His  father  was  a  fine  horseman  and  bred  horses 
for  the  markets.  The  son  was  partner  in  the  bus- 
iness. Every  winter  it  was  his  task  to  break  one  of 
the  young  horses  to  the  saddle,  and  fit  it  for  sale. 
It  was  in  this  way,  and  in  this  school,  that  he  ac- 
quired that  fine  horsemanship,  and  that  excellent 
judgment  of  horses,  for  which  he  was  noted  all  his 
life,  and  that  love  for  this  fine  animal  which  never 
forsook  him.  The  horses  which  were  bred  on  the 
McEwen  farm,  it  is  said,  were  of  the  Ranger  breed, 
which  was  famous  in  those  days.  As  a  kind  of  com- 
pensation for  his  disappointment  at  not  being  per- 
mitted to  continue  his  studies,  a  fine  animal  of  this 
breed  was  given  him  for  his  own  possession  and 
use. 


mcewen's  ministry.  375 

It  was  in  connection  with  this  horse  that  a  great 
and  an  unexpected  change  came  into  the  young 
man's  Ufe,  and  the  purposes  of  God,  which  were  as 
yet  hidden  from  him  and  from  his  father,  were 
brought  to  Hght.  In  the  spring  of  1799,  Abel  was 
permitted  to  ride  his  fine  Ranger  into  Hartford  on 
election  day  to  witness  the  imposing  ceremonies. 
He  could  not  see  eighteen  years  into  the  future, 
else  he  would  have  known  that,  in  1817,  he 
would  figure,  in  a  similar  scene,  as  the  preacher  of 
the  election  sermon.  He  did  not  know  that  that 
ride  to  Hartford  was  a  day's  journey  toward  the 
pulpit  where  he  would  preach  the  gospel  for  a  half 
a  century.  For  as  he  rode  from  Winchester  to 
Hartford  on  that  spring  day,  he  had  not  yet  definite- 
ly yielded  his  heart  to  the  will  of  God.  But  the  se- 
quel proved  that  he  was  making  a  day's  journey 
toward  that  point  where  he  would  surrender  his 
will,  and  where  an  entire  change  would  be  wrought 
in  his  whole  life. 

At  Hartford  he  met  Rev.  Dr.  Hyde  of  Lee, 
Massachusetts.  There  was,  at  that  time,  in 
various  parts  of  Connecticut,  and  especially  in 
Litchfield  County,  an  unusual  degree  of  religious 
interest.  Churches  had  been  revived.  Christians 
had  been  quickened.  Sinners  had  been  saved.  Dr. 
Hyde  naturally  supposed  that  a  son  of  deacon  Mc- 
Ewen  would  be  informed  on  a  matter  of  so  deep 
importance  to  the  churches.  So  he  questioned 
young  McEwen  about  the  progress  of  the  work  of 
grace.     But  he  had  not  felt  the  power  of  God  in 


376      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

his  own  soul.  He  could  say  nothing.  At  first  he 
felt  a  deep  chagrin  at  his  ignorance.  "That  he,  the 
son  of  a  deacon,  brought  up  under  religious  in- 
fluences, should  have  been  so  inattentive  to  the  re- 
ligious condition  of  his  own  State,  as  not  to  be  able 
to  answer  the  enquiries  of  a  minister  of  a  neighbor- 
ing State,  was  exceedingly  mortifying  to  his  pride." 
Chagrin  deepened  into  conviction.  He  began  tv) 
question  himself.  "Why  am  I  so  ignorant?  Why 
have  I  been  so  heedless,  and  what  is  my  moral  con- 
dition, that  I  should  have  been  so  regardless  of  these 
facts,  which  have  such  interest  for  christians?" 
His  conscience  was  aroused.  He  lost  interest  in 
the  splendid  pageant  before  him.  He  called  for  his 
horse  and  started  for  home.  He  found  a  moment's 
relief  in  the  attention  which  his  fine  animal  attracted 
as  he  rode  along  the  streets  of  the  city.  But  as  soon 
as  he  had  passed  beyond  its  limits,  and  was  alone 
on  the  road,  his  torturing  reflections  upon  his  spir- 
itual state  returned.  Nor  did  he  find  peace  till  he 
found  it  in  Christ.  Not  long  after  his  ride  to  Hart- 
ford a  spiritual  quickening  came  to  his  native  town. 
He  was  one  of  its  first  fruits.  Thus  his  ride  to 
Hartford  and  his  conversation  with  Rev.  Dr.  Hyde, 
were  the  means,  under  God,  of  his  conversion,  and 
of  an  entire  change  in  the  purpose  of  his  life.  He 
did  not  know  the  small  man,  with  an  intellectual 
face,  who  had  questioned  him  at  Hartford.  Some 
seventeen  years  later  Dr.  McEwen  was  a  delegate 
to  a  religious  gathering  in  Philadelphia.  Among  the 
clergymen  he  saw  the  man  he  had  so  good  reason 


mcewen's  ministry.  377 

to  remember,  and  then  for  the  first  time  learned 
his  name.  To  meet  and  tell  him  of  t|ie  result  of  his 
interest  in  the  Litchfield  revival  in  his  own  conver- 
sion, was  a  great  pleasure. 

The  desire  for  a  liberal  education  arose  again  in 
his  heart.  Now,  however,  his  ambition  was,  not  to 
shine  as  a  great  light  at  the  bar,  but  to  preach  the 
gospel.  His  father  no  longer  opposed  him,  but  was 
in  full  sympathy  with  this  new  purpose  of  his  only 
son,  in  whose  desire  to  be  an  ambassador  of  Christ 
he  heard  the  call  of  God.  His  loyalty  to  Christ  led 
him  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  prepare  the  way  for  the 
gratification  of  his  son's  new  desire.  Accordingly 
in  the  fall  of  1799  young  McEwen  began  his  stud- 
ies under  Dr.  Robbins  of  Norfolk,  and  in  September 
1800  he  was  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  Freshman 
class  of  Yale  College.  He  was  twenty  years  of 
age.  He  was  robust  in  body  and  in  mind,  and 
threw  himself  into  the  work  before  him  with  his 
whole  strength. 

Abel  McEwxn  took  his  religion  with  him  to  col- 
lege. The  revivals  which  visited  Litchfield  County 
had  not  reached  New  Haven.  Neither  the  college 
nor  the  churches  had  felt  their  touch.  Very  few  of 
the  students  were  Christians.  The  infidelity  which 
had  been  a  fruit  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and 
which  Dr.  Dwight  had  combatted  with  all  his  rare 
and  famous  powers,  still  made  its  influence  felt.  A 
prayer-meeting  had  been  held  for  several  years  at 
private  houses  in  New  Haven,  and  maintained  by 
the   Christians  in   college  and  others   of  the   city. 


378      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Abel  McEwen,  with  a  few  others  of  his  class  were 
in  the  habit  of  attending  these  gatherings  for  prayer, 
and  thus  was  formed  that  purpose  and  habit  which 
led  him  to  establish  this  neglected  means  of  grace 
in  his  own  parish  when  he  became  pastor  of  this 
church.  In  1802  a  powerful  work  of  the  spirit  vis- 
ited the  college ;  Dr.  Porter  says,  "the  first  and  one 
of  the  most  fruitful  in  modern  times."  The  long- 
ing desire  of  the  praying  students  was  gratified. 
Abel  McEwen  took  an  active  part  in  this  awakening, 
and  was  permitted  not  only  to  see  a  large  part  of 
his  class  aroused  to  the  importance  of  the  question 
of  personal  salvation  but  also  to  guide  them  in  the 
way  to  God.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that, 
coming  from  such  scenes  his  ministry  was  signal- 
ized by  repeated  seasons  of  refreshing. 

Dr.  McEwen  graduated  in  the  class  of  1804. 
Among  his  classmates  were  John  C.  Calhoun  who 
filled  the  offices  of  Vice  President  under  both  John 
Quincy  Adams  and  Andrew  Jackson,  of  Secretary 
of  War  under  Monroe,  and  of  United  States  Sen- 
ator from  South  Carolina;  Ezra  Stiles  Ely,  D.  D., 
who  became  President  of  Washington  College,  Ten- 
nessee ;  Bennett  Tyler  D.  D.,  who  became  President 
of  Dartmouth  College,  and  afterwards  of  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  East  Windsor,  now  at  Hart- 
ford ;  and  others  who  attained  eminence  in  their 
various  spheres  in  life.  Dr.  McEwen  took  the  high- 
est honors  in  scholarship  in  this  noted  class.  In 
October  of  the  year  of  his  graduation  he  returned  to 
New  Haven,  and  joined  a  theological  class  under 


mcewen's  ministry.  379 

the  instruction  of  President  Dwight.  He  remained 
there,  engaged  chiefly  in  the  study  of  systematic 
theology,  till  in  the  summer  of  1805,  when,  with 
several  others  of  the  class,  he  entered  a  theological 
school  under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  Asahel  Hooker 
of  Goshen.  He  continued  here  in  the  pursuit  of 
homiletical  studies  till  near  the  end  of  September, 
when  he  was  examined  and  licensed  to  preach  by 
the  North  Association  of  Litchfield  County,  Sep- 
tember 24,  1805.  He  was  now  ready  to  preach. 
He  was  in  demand  among  the  churches.  In  every 
pulpit  where  he  appeared  he  was  received  with 
marked  favor.  He  was  in  the  best  sense  popular, 
but  not  in  the  least  sensational.  Nor  did  the  favor 
with  which  he  was  everywhere  received  throw  him 
of¥  his  balance.  He  did  not  once  forget  that  he 
was  an  ambassador  of  Christ ;  nor  did  he  allow  oth- 
ers to  forget  it.  One  of  his  close  friends,  who  was 
as  a  brother  to  him  met  another  friend  equally  dear, 
and  playfully  remarked,  ''Brother  McEwen  means 
to  be  popular."  Dr.  McEwen  heard  of  it,  and  de- 
manded an  explanation,  which  was  promptly  given 
with  an  apology.  The  offender  was  forgiven,  but 
was  made  distinctly  to  understand  that  he  consid- 
ered worldly  ambition  a  sin  in  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel.  Without  doubt  this  sincere  singleness  of 
purpose  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  favor 
with  which  he  was  received.  Dr.  Porter,  in  a  sketch 
of  his  life,  says,  "it  was  remarkable  how  soon  he  was 
invited  to  churches  where  such  a  man  as  he  was  es- 
pecially needed." 


380      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

In  the  early  summer  of  the  year  1806,  he  was  in- 
vited to  New  London.  He  was  strongly  recom- 
mended by  Dr.  Dwight.  With  feelings  of  more  than 
ordinary  interest  the  people  turned  to  him,  and  re- 
ceived him  as  their  possible  pastor.  His  training 
under  Dr.  Dwight,  together  with  his  revival  exper- 
iences in  college,  fitted  him  for  the  place.  Men  of 
rank  and  influence  in  the  church,  like  Jedediah 
Huntington  and  Guy  Richards  had  joined  in  in- 
viting him  to  preach  to  the  people.  The  people 
were  at  once  attracted  by  his  fine  qualities,  his  good 
sense,  his  gentlemanly  and  pleasing  conduct,  and 
his  pulpit  abilities.  In  June,  as  we  have  seen,  he 
was  called  to  the  pastorate  which  Mr.  Channing 
had  left  the  month  before,  and  was  installed,  Oc- 
tober 21,  1806.  Dr.  Porter  says,  **and  now  began 
his  great  work."  With  clear  discernment  he  un- 
derstood, and  with  singleness  of  heart  devoted  him- 
self to,  it.  He  found  the  people  as  a  body  ignorant 
of  the  "first  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  He 
therefore  made  it  his  first  business  to  instruct  them ; 
as  a  faithful  shepherd  to  feed  the  flock ;  as  a  wise 
master  builder  to  lay  his  foundation  in  a  well  de- 
fined and  well  grounded  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
His  preaching  was  not  only  instructive,  as  all 
preaching  should  be,  but  it  was  eminently  instruct- 
ive in  the  distinctive  doctrines  of  the  christian  faith. 
He  explained  them,  he  vindicated  them,  he  showed 
their  reasonableness,  their  harmony  with  each  other, 
their  authority,  as  the  word  of  God."  This  quality 
of  his  preaching  explains  why  the  leading  men  of  all 


mcewen's  ministry.  381 

professions  were  attracted  to  his  ministry.  It  gave 
the  people  the  food  for  which  they  hungered.  At 
once  a  change  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  condition 
of  things  began  to  appear.  The  mid-week  prayer 
meeting  was  instituted.  He  inaugurated  the  Wed- 
nesday evening  lecture  which  he  maintained 
throughout  his  whole  ministry,  and  for  which  he 
made  the  most  thorough  preparation.  Bible  class- 
es were  formed  for  the  study  of  some  Christian  doc- 
trine, or  some  portion  of  the  scriptures,  for  which 
he  prepared  the  questions.  Family  worship  was 
restored.  The  Sabbath  was  observed.  The  sanc- 
tuary was  not  neglected.  Meetings  were  held  for 
the  direction  and  instruction  of  enquirers.  Revivals 
at  once  blessed  his  labors,  and  continued  to  do  so 
with  great  frequency,  during  the  larger  part  of  his 
pastorate.  In  short  the  moral  tone  of  community, 
and  the  spiritual  tone  of  the  church  were  revolu- 
tionized, and  uplifted. 

The  power  of  his  ministry  was  conspicuously 
proved  by  the  change  that  was  silently  but  surely 
wrought  in  the  inner  as  well  as  the  outer  life  of 
the  people,  as  the  years  went  on.  Profanity  and 
vice  were  less  open  and  bold.  The  town  improved 
in  its  habits  and  morals  because  the  pulpit  in  which 
Abel  McEwen  stood  was  a  felt  and  acknowledged 
power. 

Dr.  McEwen  was  married  January  21,  1807,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Battell  of  Torringford,  Conn.  Her 
death  occurred  only  a  few  months  before  his  own. 
Their  attachment  dated  back  to  1799.     Soon  after 


382      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

their  marriage  she  was  afflicted  with  a  hfe-long  in- 
firmity of  such  a  character  that  the  burden  of  the 
domestic  care  and  responsibiHty  often  came  with 
depressing  weight  upon  him.  It  is  said  that  he 
bore  them  with  wonderful  cheerfulness,  and  these 
added  burdens  only  served  to  show  more  distinctly 
his  tenderness,  the  constancy  of  his  conjugal  affec- 
tions, and  the  strength  and  loyalty  of  his  purpose  in 
pursuing  his  professional  duties.  Their  early  home- 
life  in  New  London  was  in  the  parsonage  on  Main 
street.  Their  union  was  blessed  with  three  sons 
and  four  daughters.  Two  of  the  daughters  died  at 
the  ages  of  thirteen  and  fifteen.  Their  deaths  in- 
flicted deep  wounds  upon  his  sensitive  heart,  and 
he  cried  out  to  one  of  his  sons,  in  great  distress  of 
spirit,  "What  should  we  do  if  we  had  no  Savior." 

Domestic  life  was  his  great  delight.  His  genial 
spirits,  and  the  play  of  his  affections  made  him  the 
light  and  joy  of  his  household.  He  was  the  first 
to  arise  in  the  morning,  and,  as  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  do  on  the  farm,  he  made  the  morning 
fire.  Dr.  Noah  Porter  says,  "it  was  at  the  old  glor- 
ious fire-place,  that  his  older  children  used  to  meet 
him  morning  by  morning,  as  they  left  their  beds. 
There  they  first  learned  grammar,  the  English  and 
the  Latin,  at  his  lips,  and  there  he  dramatized  for 
their  entertainment  and  instruction,  as  none  but  he 
could  do,  the  stories  of  Joseph  and  David  and  Dan- 
iel, or  talked  with  them  of  some  incident  in  the  Sav- 
ior's life.  And  there,  too,  before  the  children  were 
up,  as  he  once  remarked  to  a  friend  (rare  instance 


mcewen's  ministry.  383 

of  self-revelation  for  him)  'he  had  musings  in  his 
own  heart  before  God,  which  were  his  strength 
and  joy  for  the  day.'  " 

Dr.  McEwen  let  his  light  shine  in  his  own  way. 
He  had  little  to  say  of  his  own  religious  experiences. 
His  spiritual  state  was  his  own.  It  belonged  to  his 
inner  life  which  was  not  on  exhibition,  save  in  its 
fruits.  One  of  his  admirers  said  of  him,  "he  was 
more  a  man  of  the  world  than  most  ministers  are, 
without  being  any  more  worldly  than  a  great  many 
who,  through  defect  of  sympathy,  or  knowledge,  are 
very  simple,  or  very  narrow."  He  was  a  man  of 
wide  thought,  of  firm  Christian  principles,  of  pro- 
nounced convictions,  and  of  unyielding  purpose  in 
the  faithful  discharge  of  duty.  He  gave  the  im- 
pression to  some  that  he  was  not  eminently  spirit- 
ual. Yet  the  constant  accessions  to  the  church 
during  his  ministry  would  rather  go  to  prove  the 
contrary.  Now  and  then  expressions  would  drop 
from  his  lips  when  speaking  of  the  atoning  work  of 
Jesus,  which  showed  that  deep  down  in  his  nature 
were  strong  religious  emotions.  The  tremulous 
voice,  the  tearful  eye,  the  choked  utterance  at  the 
Lord's  Supper,  in  prayer  or  in  sermon,  when  speak- 
ing of  Christ's  sufferings  for  our  sins,  were  evidence 
that  one  thought  dominated  him — the  passion  of 
our  Lord.  He  may  have  been  intellectual  rather 
than  emotional.  But  his  life  and  his  preaching, 
were  abundant  proof  of  his  spiritual  power.  If  he 
was  more  reticent  than  some,  it  is  not  to  be  in- 
ferred that  he  had  no  deep  religious  experiences.. 


384      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

If  he  could  not  be  persuaded  to  speak  of  his  person- 
al hope,  it  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  his  hope  was 
not  strong  and  sure.  His  lack  of  religious  senti- 
mentalism  is  not  to  be  understood  as  lack  of  re- 
ligious sentiment.  '*He  did  once,  soon  after  the 
■death  of  his  wife,  speak  of  making  no  calculations 
about  living  here,  and  of  his  hope  of  soon  meeting 
in  heaven  her  with  whom  he  had  so  often  con- 
versed about  that  world ;  and  there  are  a  few  other 
expressions,  gathered  up  by  one  and  another,  that 
were  dropped  from  his  lips,  declarations  of  his  re- 
ligious feelings ;  but  his  ordinary  reticence  on  this 
one  subject,  freely  communicative  as  he  was  on  all 
others,  was  remarkable." 

As  a  theologian  Dr.  McEwen  was  a  trinitarian, 
"a  calvinist,  of  the  school  of  Smalley  and  Dwight," 
said  Dr.  Noah  Porter.  He  accepted  and  taught  the 
doctrine  of  the  deity  of  our  Lord,  and  insisted  on  its 
b)eing  stated  in  the  articles  of  faith  of  the  church. 
During  his  ministry  occurred  the  controversy  whicli 
ended  in  the  establishment  of  the  seminary  at  East 
Windsor,  which  was  afterwards  removed  to  Hart- 
ford. Dr.  Porter  said,  "he  had  no  sympathy  with 
the  Pastoral  Union ;  nor  do  we  remember  that  he 
said  or  did  anything  to  excite  feeling  against  it." 

As  a  preacher  Dr.  McEwen  was  not  evangelistic, 
in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  word,  but  he  was 
evangelical.  He  preached  so  as  to  reach  the  will 
through  the  intellect.  This  explains  his  power  over 
the  strong  men  who  waited  upon  his  ministry,  and 
whom  he  won  for  the  church.     I  can  not  do  better 


mcewen's  ministry.  385 

than  to  quote  the  words  of  Dr.  Porter,  concerning 
his  preaching.  "As  a  preacher  Dr.  McEwen  was 
not  always  equal  to  himself.  His  written  sermons 
— and  in  the  pulpit  his  sermons  were  generally 
written — were  of  a  high  order.  *  *  *  They  were 
sound,  instructive,  earnest,  elegant  in  style  and 
gracefully  delivered,  but  they  had  not  the  power  of 
his  unwritten  addresses."  His  sermons  were  writ- 
ten in  the  last  two  days  of  the  week,  often  in  the 
evenings  of  those  days.  They  were  sometimes  pre- 
pared under  burdens  which  the  world  could  know 
nothing  of.  It  was  the  judgment  of  those  who 
heard  him  that  his  most  effective  preaching  was 
when,  without  a  manuscript,  he  poured  forth  the 
fulness  of  his  heart.  His  Wednesday  evening  lec- 
tures, were  always  extemporaneous,  and  were  re- 
garded by  some  as  his  best  preaching.  Dr.  Field 
said  of  him  he  "was  argumentative.  Whatever  his 
subject,  whether  doctrinal  or  practical,  he  would 
reason  upon  it — 'he  reasoned  of  righteousness,  tem- 
perance, and  judgement  to  come.'  *  =^  ^^^  His  illus- 
trations were  employed  *  *  *  to  set  forth  the  doc- 
trine or  duty  to  the  clear  apprehension  of  the  in- 
tellect, and  so  to  affect  the  conscience  and  the 
heart."  Dr.  Field  adds  that  while  his  preaching 
was  peculiarly  adapted  to  instruct  and  "build  up 
the  mind  in  the  knowledge  of  divine  truth,  yet  it  had 
also,  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  religious  feel- 
ings." 

He  was  a  man  of  great  intellectual  activity.     His 
range  of  thought  was  wide  and  comprehensive. 


386      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Whatever  subject  he  took  up  for  consideration  was 
handled  with  a  strong  hand,  and  as  thoroughly  as 
the  multifarious  duties  of  a  large  and  growing  par- 
ish would  allow.  He  had  invitations  to  other  fields, 
but  he  chose  "to  be  an  everyday  working  pastor 
in  one  place  for  life."  This  may  seem  to  some  a 
narrow  ambition,  but  it  may  be  questioned  whether 
he  did  not  in  this  way  leave  more  lasting  influence, 
and  a  deeper  impression,  upon  the  world,  than  if  he 
had  restlessly  moved  about  from  parish  to  parish. 
It  may  be  that  a  change  would  have  contributed 
somewhat  to  the  enlivenment  of  his  thought  and 
style,  but  it  would  have  endangered  that  undying 
fame  which  he  left  behind  him.  Possibly  he  could 
have  pointed  to  larger  numbers  received  into  the 
church,  but  he  would  not  have  left  so  imperishable 
an  influence.  Likely  enough  he  would  have  been 
more  widely  known,  though  this  may  be  doubtful, 
but  he  would  not  have  left  such  a  monument  as  he 
has  in  his  half  century  of  pastoral  life  and  toil  with 
this  church.  We  incline  to  think  that  his  preference 
to  remain  in  one  place  to  do  his  life  work  was  on  the 
whole  wise  from  every  point  of  view. 

Dr.  McEwen's  publications  were  only  a  few  oc- 
casional serrrions  and  addresses.  But  these  show 
the  style  of  the  man  and  the  preacher.  Among 
these  are  his  "Half-century  sermon,"  in  which  he 
gave  an  interesting  review  of  the  changes  which  had 
taken  place  under  his  eye  in  the  city  and  county 
during  his  ministry;  his  "Biographical  sketches  of 
Litchfield  county  ministers,"  read  at  Litchfield  at 


mcewen's  ministry.  387 

the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  North  and 
South  Consociations  of  Litchfield  County,  July  7 
and  8,  1852,  which  is  full  of  amusing  and  instructive 
incidents  about  those  men  and  their  times,  which 
were  told  in  his  graphic  way ;  an  election  sermon 
preached  at  Hartford,  May  8,  181 7,  from  the  text, 
"Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher  powers, 
for  there  is  no  power  but  of  God,  the  powers  that 
be  are  ordained  of  God,"  in  which  he  ably  set  forth 
the  duty  of  "obedience  to  the  constituted  author- 
ities of  civil  government ;"  a  sermon  preached  Sept. 
30,  1849,  when  the  old  house  of  worship  was  vacated 
to  make  room  for  the  present  edifice,  in  which  he 
gave  some  very  valuable  historical  reminiscences ; 
a  Thanksgiving  Sermon  preached  Nov.  28,  1850 
from  the  text  "Whether  it  be  right  in  the  sight  of 
God  to  hearken  unto  you  more  than  unto  God,  judge 
ye," in  which  he  discussed  the  question, "How  ought 
the  people  of  the  Free  States  to  deport  themselves  in 
relation  to  that  law  of  the  United  States  called  the 
Fugitive  Slave  law ;"  a  sermon  preached  at  the  fu- 
neral of  Rev.  Samuel  Nott  D.  D.,  May  28,  1852,  at 
Franklin,  whose  text  was  Hebrews  7:  23,  24;  and 
his  article  on  "Congregationalists  in  their  relation 
to  other  religious  sects,  characterized  by  error,  fa- 
naticism  or  disorder,"  read  at  the  one  hundred  and 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  General  Association  of 
Connecticut,  June  23,  1859,  which  is  an  "able  and 
instructive  sketch  of  the  history,  and  defence  of  the 
principles  and  polity,  of  Connecticut  Congregation- 
alists." 


388        LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

Dr.  McEwen  was  not  so  much  of  a  theologian 
in  the  pulpit,  as  a  pastor  seeking  to  instruct  and 
guide  his  flock  in  the  way  of  truth,  all  along  the 
lines  of  active  life.  And  the  social  transformations 
which  he  was  permitted  to  see,  bore  testimony  to  the 
success  of  his  ministrations. 

In  spite  of  his  strong  theological  convictions,  Dr. 
McEwen  was  a  liberal  man,  in  the  true  sense  of  that 
term.  An  incident  narrated  to  the  writer  by  Mrs. 
Robert  McEwen  illustrates  this  quality  of  his  char- 
acter. It  happened  in  1825  or  1826.  A  neighbor  of 
Dr.  McEwen,  with  whom  he  was  on  friendly  and  in- 
timate terms,  was  a  Roman  Catholic.  At  this  time 
this  was  almost  the  only  family  of  that  faith  in  New 
London.  A  French  ecclesiastic,  by  the  name  of 
Chevereaux,  visited  this  neighbor.  Dr.  McEwen 
politely  called  on  the  stranger.  During  the  call  he 
learned  that  the  bishop  was  to  remain  over  the  Sab- 
bath. He  at  once  offered  the  use  of  the  First 
Church  of  Christ  on  the  afternoon  of  the  Sabbath, 
for  public  worship  according  to  the  rituals  of  the 
Roman  church.  The  ofifer  was  accepted,  and  the 
service  was  held.  There  may  have  been  services 
here  of  this  kind  before,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
this  was  the  first  ever  held  in  a  church  in  New 
London,  and  that  church  was  Protestant. 

Dr.  McEwen  was  in  sympathy  with  the  mission- 
ary movements  which  began  in  his  day.  Dr. 
Porter  says  ''the  missionary  and  other  evangelical 
societies,  together  with  the  Reformatory  and  other 
benevolent  institutions,  which,  in  the  course  of  Dr. 


'  mcewen's  ministry.  389 

McEwen's  ministry  came  so  rapidly  into  being, 
found  in  him  ready  sympathy  and  through  him,  in 
his  people,  an  effective  cooperation." 

His  influence  was  felt  in  far  wider  circles  than 
the  limits  of  his  parish.  He  was  the  prime  mover 
of  a  Home  Missionary  movement  for  the  help  of 
destitute  and  pastorless  churches  in  the  state,  which 
had  its  conception,  if  not  its  actual  birth,  in  the 
parsonage  on  Main  street.  Let  the  story  be  told  in 
Dr.  McEwen's  own  words.  Speaking  of  the  spir- 
itual desolation  which  reigned  in  the  churches,  he 
said  "The  few^  pastors  who  wxre  at  length  estab- 
lished on  the  outposts  of  this  waste,  were  impatient 
of  this  rapid  and  constant  degeneracy  toward  a  state 
of  heathenism,  in  a  land  of  Christianity.  At  the 
old  parsonage  of  this  church,  one  evening  in  1815, 
the  Rev.  Ira  Hart  and  myself  conversed  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  formed  a  project  for  a  county  missionary 
society,  to  restore  the  dilapidated  churches  and  so- 
cieties. The  project,  after  a  few  weeks,  was  referred 
to  the  Association,  who  after  consultation,  resolved 
to  forward  a  petition  to  the  General  Association  of 
the  state,  soon  to  meet  at  Farmington,  that  a  Home 
Missionary  society  might  be  instituted,  for  repair- 
ing the  waste  places  of  Connecticut  and  its  vicinity. 
The  proposition  was  quickly  and  heartily  embraced, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  ensuing  year  [1816]  such 
a  society  was  established ;  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the 
United  States.  During  that  year,  some  young  men 
in  New  York  instituted  a  Home  Society,  to  aid  the 
destitute  places  of  their  owm  state.     This  society  of 


390      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

young  men  became  the  nucleus  of  the  American 
Home  Missionary  society ;  to  which  the  Home  Mis- 
sionary societies,  soon  instituted  in  all  the  New 
England  states,  became  auxiliary.  *  *  *  From  the 
lamented  desolation  in  New  London  county,  orig- 
inated a  work  which  has  spread,  and  which  is  still 
to  spread  its  splendor  over  this  broad  country. 
This  event  will  be  an  item  in  the  history  of  New 
London  County." 

As  the  Missionary  Society  of  Connecticut  was 
formed  in  1798,  the  statement  of  Dr.  McEwen  that 
the  organization  of  1816  was  "the  first  of  its  kind 
in  the  United  States,"  may  be  misleading.  But  the 
confusion  will  disappear  if  the  purposes  of  each  so- 
ciety are  compared.  The  organization  of  1798  had, 
for  the  first  article  of  its  constitution,  the  following, 
''this  society  shall  be  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Missionary  society."  Among  its  declared  objects 
w^as,  to  extend  assistance  "to  new  Christian  settle- 
ments in  various  parts  of  the  United  States ;"  as, 
for  example,  to  aid  settlements  in  Vermont,  New 
York,  Northern  Ohio  and  elsewhere,  whither  Con- 
necticut emigrants  had  gone  to  settle.  The  work 
of  this  society  does  not  seem  to  have  been,  to  any 
considerable  extent,  if  at  all,  in  the  state.  In  the 
course  of  time,  and  with  changed  conditions,  some 
of  the  churches  in  Connecticut  came  to  be  in  sore 
straits.  As  early  as  1793  the  General  Association, 
whose  session,  for  that  year,  was  held  in  New  Lon- 
don, asked  "what  shall  be  done  respecting  our  des- 
titute churches  and  congregations  whose  resettle- 


mcewen's  ministry.  391 

ment  in  the  enjoyment  of  Gospel  ordinances  is  im- 
probable?" The  question  remained  unanswered, 
and  things  grew  worse,  until  the  conference  of  Dr. 
McEwen  and  Mr.  Hart  resulted  in  the  formation  of 
the  Domestic  Missionary  Society  of  Connecticut,  in 
1 8x6,  whose  avowed  object  was  ''to  build  up  the 
waste  places  of  Connecticut  and  its  vicinity,  by  fur- 
nishing the  destitute  with  religious  instruction." 
This  latter  society  is  what  Dr.  McEwen  refers  to 
as  "the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States."  It 
was  the  beginning  of  distinctly  state-work.  As  a 
result  Dr.  McEwen  says,  "in  1816  missionaries  were 
sent  forth  into  our  paralyzed  parishes ;  and  the  gos- 
pel's voice  began  to  sound  in  houses  of  public  wor- 
ship, which,  for  a  long  time,  had  been  but  occas- 
ionally opened ;  or,  opened  only  for  lay  services." 
The  people  responded  so  that  the  hopes  of  the  orig- 
inators of  the  society  were  more  than  met.  The 
superintendence  of  the  work  devolved  chiefly  upon 
Dr.  McEwen ;  a  work  which  he  said  "was  some- 
what arduous ;  but  the  remuneration  was  found  in 
success ;  and,  somewhat  in  amusement."  So  that, 
in  an  important  sense,  Dr.  McEwen  was  the  origin- 
ator of  home  missionary  work  within  the  state. 
The  two  societies  worked  harmoniously  side  by  side 
till  1880,  when  they  were  both  merged  in  one  under 
the  old  name. 

Dr.  McEwen  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  origin- 
ating the  consociation  of  New  London  County  in 
1815.  It  continued  to  exist  till  his  death.  He  says, 
that  "every  clerical  association  in  Connecticut  that 


392        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

of  New  London  County  excepted,  had,  since  1708, 
a  consociation  of  churches  connected  with  it."  He 
continues,  "the  two  uncompromising  conservators 
of  independency  passed  of¥  the  stage,  and  in  1814, 
a  convention  of  pastors  and  of  lay  delegates  from 
the  churches  was  called,  which  formed  and  adopted 
a  constitution  for  a  consociation  of  churches." 
With  but  a  single  exception  the  churches  of  the 
county  came  into  the  arrangement.  Dr.  McEwen 
was  a  leader  in  this  movement,  because  he  believed 
it  to  be  best  calculated  to  be  a  safe-guard  against 
the  heresies  which  w^ere  then  seeking  to  insinuate 
themselves  into  the  churches.  To  his  last  hour  he 
believed  in  the  principle  of  the  consociation,  as  em- 
bodying the  substance  of  provisions  in  the  Saybrook 
Platform.  It  was  not  till  after  his  death  that  the 
consociation  gave  place  to  the  conference.  The 
significance  of  this  is,  that  Dr.  McEwen  carried  his 
church,  where  Governor  Saltonstall,  with  his  power- 
ful influence,  had  failed  to  do  so,  and  that  he  car- 
ried the  churches  of  the  county,  which,  before,  had 
steadfastly  refused  to  be  consociated. 

The  New  London  County  Association  dates  from 
1750.  From  about  1807  ^o  1891,  it  met  only  for 
the  transaction  of  business.  The  usual  exercises  of 
such  a  body  were  remanded  to  a  monthly  ministers' 
meeting  held  mostly  at  Norwich,  which  had  a  con- 
tinuous existence  till  1891.  Dr.  McEwen  as  long  as 
he  lived  was  the  master  spirit  of  these  gather- 
ings and  was  always  present,  unless  absolutely  pre- 
vented.    Dr.  Porter  says  "he  was  always  prepared 


mcewen's  ministry.  393 

with  his  essay."  Dr.  McEwen  says  "one  minister 
may  be  found,"  referring  to  himself,  "who  has  writ- 
ten for  the  meeting  more  than  four  hundred  disser- 
tations." "More  than  half  of  these  were  longer 
than  an  ordinary  sermon,  nor  were  they  light  pro- 
ductions. In  the  discussions  of  the  various  papers, 
what  he  had  to  say  was  instructive,  and  was  spec- 
ially kind  and  helpful  to  the  younger  ministers,  who 
regarded  him  as  their  father,  loving  him  for  his  sym- 
pathy and  kindness,  while  they  looked  up  to  him 
with  deference."  And  he  made  himself  the  life  of 
these  gatherings,  as  of  any  circle  in  which  he  was, 
by  scintillations  of  his  keen  wit,  or  by  some  story 
from  his  fruitful  reminiscences.  Dr.  Field  says,  "in 
his  criticisms  of  the  discourses  of  his  younger  breth- 
ren in  the  ministry,  he  was  kindly  and  encourag- 
ing." 

Rev.  Timothy  Tuttle  in  an  article  in  the  Congre- 
gational Quarterly  for  October,  1861,  on  the  "New 
London  County,  Ct.,  monthly  meeting,"  speaks  thus 
of  Dr.  McEwen.  ^'We  come  now  to  one  who  was 
the  primum  mobile  among  us — the  great  motive 
power  by  which  things  relating  to  this  meeting  were 
directed.  *  ^  *  In  our  meetings,  he  always  had 
something  to  say  on  every  subject  presented;  and 
he  but  very  seldom  failed  to  fulfil  his  own  assign- 
ments. To  say  that  he  was  the  main  stay  of  this 
monthly  meeting,  will  not,  I  trust,  be  regarded  by 
any  one  as  saying  too  much.  I  do  not  say,  for  I 
do  not  know,  that  he  was  the  founder  of  the  meet- 
ing.    But  it  must  have  died  long  ago,  if  he  had  not 


594      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

contributed  his  power  and  influence  to  keep  it  alive. 
*  *  *  At  his  own  fireside,  but  especially  when  he 
was  abroad  with  us,  he  was  always  cheerful — often 
amusing.  His  conversational  powers  seemed  to  be 
inexhaustible  and  never  tiresome.  Of  anecdotes  he 
had  an  abundant  store ;  and  they  would  bear  to  be 
repeated,  as  they  often  were,  by  himself.  No  other 
one  could  relate  them  so  well.  He  was  the  proper 
man  for  New  London,  at  the  time  he  came,  and  for 
this  County ;  and  God  sent  him  here  just  when  his 
labors  and  influence  were  most  needed.  *  *  * 
Surely  many  of  the  churches  of  this  county  have 
reason  to  thank  God  that  Dr.  McEwen  was  sent 
among  them." 

This  testimony  of  Mr.  Tuttle  is  that  of  a  close 
friend  and  neighbor.  They  were  pastors  of  adjoin- 
ing parishes  from  1811,  till  Dr.  AIcEwen's  death  in 
i860. 

Those  qualities  which  made  him  the  life  of  the 
ministers'  meetings,  made  him  an  incomparable 
companion.  This  part  of  the  story  of  his  life  a  let- 
ter from  Rev.  John  Avery,  who  knew  Dr.  McEwen 
long  and  well,  shall  narrate. 

Norwich,  Conn.,  May  18,  1894. 
Dear  Bro.  Blake: 

Agreeably  to  promise  I  herewith  send  you  some  reminis- 
cences of  Dr.  McEwen.  When  I  began  to  attend  the  minis- 
ters' meetings  in  the  later  forties  Dr.  Nott  of  Franklin  and 
Father  Nelson  of  Lisbon  were  the  oldest  members;  and  both 
of  them  were  bowing  under  the  weight  of  years.  But  Mc- 
Ewen, who  stood  next  in  point  of  age,  was  in  the  full  vigor 
of  his  mature  manhood.     More  than  any  other  perhaps  he  was 


mcewen's  ministry.  395 

a  leader  in  the  meeting.  He  was  always  present  and  always 
prepared.  *  *  * 

McEwen,  though  an  able  preacher,  did  not  commonly  man- 
ifest much  emotion  in  the  pulpit.  Hence  he  was  spoken  of 
by  his  Baptist  neighbor,  Elder  Swan,  as  Abel  Iceberg.  At 
a  later  period  after  he  had  done  Elder  Swan  a  great  act  of 
kindness,  Abel  Iceberg  became  Brother  McEwen.  McEwen 
took  a  great  interest  in  all  the  Congregational  Churches  in 
the  County,  as  well  as  in  his  own;  and  he  did  much  for  these 
churches  by  recommending  ministers  to  them,  by  preaching 
for  them  when  they  had  no  ministers,  and  in  other  ways. 
He  was  rejoiced  to  witness  many  happy  changes  in  these 
churches.  I  have  heard  him  state  the  fact  that  for  a  con- 
siderable time  after  he  came  to  New  London,  he  was  the 
only  settled  Congregational  minister  on  a  territory  in  Con- 
necticut 12  miles  by  50;  but  that  in  a  few  years  there  were 
about  a  dozen  settled  ministers  on  this  same  territory. 

Other  pleasant  changes  too  had  taken  place  in  the  county, 
of  which  he  loved  to  speak.  He  used  often  to  refer  to  the 
great  improvement  which  was  manifest  in  the  manners  and 
morals  of  the  people.  On  one  occasion  in  particular,  address- 
ing himself  especially  to  the  young  men  connected  with  the 
ministers'  meeting,  he  said,  for  substance,  'You,  young  men, 
can  not  begin  to  realize  how  great  the  improvement  has 
been.  When  I  came  to  New  London  there  was  a  degree  of 
coarseness  and  boorishness  among  the  people  generally,  which 
would  be  perfectly  revolting  to  you  who  have  recently  come 
upon  the  stage  of  active  life.  And  I  want  you  to  realize  that 
it  is  to  the  churches  of  Christ,  with  their  educated  ministers 
that  the  community  is  largely  indebted  for  these  grateful 
changes.' 

Some  people  who  knew  McEwen  but  slightly  had  the  im- 
pression that  he  was  stern  and  repelling  in  his  manners,  with 
a  cold,  unsympathetic  nature.  This  was  not  the  case  how- 
ever with  those  who  were  well  acquainted  with  him;  for  they 
found  the  very  opposite  to  be  true.  In  my  early  manhood 
I  was  well  acquainted  with  some  half  a  dozen  young  ladies  in 


396        LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

Lyme  who,  a  few  years  previous,  had  attended  a  select  school 
in  New  London,  taught  by  a  Mr.  Huntington,  and  boarded 
with  a  Mrs.  Chappell  who  lived  next  door  to  Dr.  McEwen. 
He  early  made  their  acquaintance,  and  during  their  stay  in 
New  London  showed  them  many  kind  attentions.  *  *  *  Those 
young  persons   never   tired   of  praising  him.  *  *  * 

In  the  ministers'  meeting  McEwen  was  a  tower  of  strength 
which  rose  quite  above  his  fellows.  *  *  *  His  relations  with 
his  brethren  in  the  ministry  were  very  familiar.  He  was 
easily  approached  by  any,  even  the  youngest  members,  and 
was  constantly  exerting  influences  promotive  of  friendly  feel- 
ing and  successful  work.  Sometimes  by  a  single  timely  and 
happy  remark  he  would  turn  the  whole  current  of  thought  and 
feeling  in  the  meeting  out  of  the  channel  in  which  it  was  run- 
ning, especially  if  he  saw  that  that  channel  was  running  on 
toward  dangerous  ground.  I  recall  an  instance  of  this  kind. 
A  brother  was  under  criticism  for  a  sermon  he  had  just 
preached,  and  the  criticisms  had  been  unusually  severe;  so 
much  so  that  the  preacher  was  evidently  stung  by  thair  bit- 
terness. McEwen  was  the  last  to  speak,  and  he  did  so  pretty 
much  in  the  following  words;  'well,  Bro. —  has  passed  through 
16  riddles  and  every  one  of  them  has  given  him  a  pretty  hard 
shake;  but  there  is  one  little  speck  which  they  haven't  got 
out  yet.  The  proper  name,  that  he  had  occasion  to  mention 
quite  a  number  of  times,  was  not,  according  to  my  notion, 
pronounced  with  entire  accuracy.  I  understood  him  to  say 
Phillipp,  as  if  the  name  were  spelled  with  two  I's  and  three 
p's.' 

On  another  occasion,  I  remember,  a  brother  who  was  very 
repetitious,  preached  a  sermon  in  which  this  his  character- 
istic fault  was  very  conspicuous.  The  criticisms  at  once 
caught  it  up,  and  dwelt  largely  upon  it.  McEwen  presented 
his  about  like  this.  'The  preacher  seemed  to  me  like  a  black- 
smith, with  a  piece  of  iron  upon  his  anvil  which  he  was  try- 
ing to  work  into  a  desired  shape.  With  his  hammer  he  gave 
it  a  light  blow  without  apparently  producing  much  effect;  then 
another  and  another,  each  blow  a  little  heavier  than  its  pred- 


mcewen's  ministry.  397 

ecessor.  But  finding  that  the  metal  was  still  unyielding  he 
laid  aside  his  hammer,  stepped  back  and  took  up  a  big  sledge, 
and  paid  on  with  all  his  might;  his  whole  air  and  manner 
seeming  to  say,  now  I  guess  I'll  fetch  you.'  In  a  similar 
vein  with  these  criticisms  were  some  of  his  invitations  to 
his  Bro.  Jared  R.  Avery  of  Groton,  to  ride  with  him  to  some 
forthcoming  ecclesiastical  council  or  ministers'  meeting. 
Early  one  Monday  morning  Mr.  Avery  received  a  note  which 
read  thus;  'Dear  Brother, — My  black  pony  starts  for  Griswold 
tomorrow  morning,  at  8  o'clock.  Ballast  wanted.  A.  Mc- 
Ewen.' 

During  all  the  earlier  years  of  my  connection  with  the 
ministers'  meeting  McEwen  and  Shipman  were  the  most  prom- 
inent story-tellers  in  the  company;  and  the  dinner  table  at 
which  we  dined  together  was  the  place  where  their  talents 
in  this  line  were  called  into  special  exercise.  One  would  tell 
a  story,  and  then  the  other  would  tell  one  to  match  it,  and 
to  beat  it  if  possible.  And  sometimes  the  dinner  would  be 
almost  forgotten  amid  the  uproarious  merriment  which  the 
stories  had  occasioned. 

McEwen  of  New  London  and  Tuttle  of  Ledyard  were  inti- 
mate and  life-long  friends  of  each  other.  At  an  early  stage 
of  one  of  the  ministers'  meetings  Tuttle  had  performed  some 
important  part,  and  McEwen  had  criticised  him  sarcastically 
and  severely.  After  a  recess  the  first  topic  of  discussion  was, 
'the  employments  of  the  redeemed  in  heaven.'  When  Mc- 
Ewen's  turn  came  to  speak  upon  it,  with  much  emotion,  he 
said,  'I  know  of  one  thing  that  I  shall  do  in  heaven,  if  I  am 
so  fortunate  as  to  get  there,  and  it  will  be  the  first  thing,  too, 
that  I  shall  do,  if  I  havn't  had  a  chance  to  do  it  before.  It 
will  be  to  look  up  Bro.  Tuttle,  (for  I  know  he'll  be  there 
somewhere,)  and  apologize  to  him  for  the  unkind  words  I 
spoke  this  morning.' 

While  he  was  as  a  rule  remarkably  courteous  and  kind  in 
his  intercourse  with  his  brethren,  he  was  sometimes  pretty 
severe  in  his  replies  to  any  one  who  attempted  to  be  rather 
liard  upon  him.     On  one  occasion  he  was  the  preacher  and  as 


398       LATER   HISTORY  OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

he  came  under  criticism,  Bro.  Ayer  of  North  Stonington,  re- 
marked, 'I  think  the  sermon  was  not  suflaeiently  popular 
in  its  structure.  It  was  above  the  heads  of  the  people.  I 
doubt  whether  many  of  them  understood  it.'  McEwen  re- 
plied, 'did  you  understand  it,  Bro.  Ayer?'  'Why  yes,'  said  he, 
'of  course  I  did.'  'Well,'  said  McEwen,  'if  you  understood 
it  then  I'll  risk  the  people.' 

McEwen  was  very  fond  of  a  horse,  and  a  remarkably  good 
judge  of  a  horse's  merits  and  demerits,  and  this  fact  being 
very  generally  known,  I  have  been  told  that  there  was  many 
a  man  in  New  London  who,  when  about  to  purchase  a  horse, 
would  manage  to  get  McEwen's  opinion  of  it  before  closing 
the  bargain,  if  he  could.  *  *  *  *  Sincerely  Yours, 

JOHN  AVERY. 

This  letter  enables  us  to  see  the  man  through  the 
eyes  of  those  who  came  nearest  to  him  in  profes- 
sional life,  and  shows  us  a  side  of  his  character  not 
otherwise  to  be  seen.  There  are  manv  incidents 
which  might  be  told  of  his  story  telling  powers. 
But  enough  has  been  said  to  disclose  this  phase  of 
his  character,  and  show  how  companionable  he  was, 
as  well  as  how  courteous  in  his  bearing.  Dr.  Por- 
ter says  ''his  strength  of  purpose  and  firmness  of 
Christian  principle,  his  superior  education  and  ripe 
experience,  together  with  his  elegance  of  manners, 
and  great  sweetness  and  nobleness  of  disposition, 
formed  a  rare  combination  of  excellent  qualifica- 
tions," for  the  place  where  God  appointed  his  life- 
work. 

•Dr.  McEwen  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  cause 
of  education.  From  1826  till  he  died  he  was  a 
member  of  the  corporation  of  Yale  College.     From 


mcewen's  ministry.  39& 

1853  he  was  a  member  of  the  Prudential  Committee 
of  that  Board,  a  position  which  he  was  conspicuous- 
ly fitted  to  hold  by  his  knowledge  of  men,  his  bus- 
iness abilities,  his  sound  judgment  and  his  ripe  ex- 
perience. He  was  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  Ba- 
con Academy  in  Colchester,  and  was  actively  inter- 
ested in  its  welfare,  until  his  duties  as  one  of  the 
Prudential  committee  of  the  corporation  of  the  col- 
lege compelled  him  to  resign.  The  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  by  Union  Col- 
lege in  1846,  when  he  was  sixty-six  years  of  age, 
and  at  a  period  in  life  when  he  had  well  earned  the 
honor. 

He  was  interested  in  all  reforms.  He  was  both 
progressive  and  conservative.  He  abhorred  slav- 
ery, but  would  not  disfellowship  those  who  thought 
that  slaveholders  could  be  Christians.  He  therefore 
took  the  side  of  the  American  Board  in  the  anti- 
slavery  conflict  which  rent  it.  Novelties  did  not  at- 
tract him,  nor  did  plausibilities  lead  him  astray.  He 
was  a  man  of  good  judgment,  and  was  not  hasty  in 
forming  his  opinions.  But  when  they  were  formed 
he  was  not  easily  moved.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
will  and  the  church  always  found  it  wise  to  follow 
him  as  a  leader.  The  touch  of  the  hand  which  did 
so  much  to  make  it  what  it  became  is  still  on  it. 
When  he  laid  down  the  active  duties  of  the  pastor- 
ate, for  other  and  younger  hands  to  take  them  up, 
the  change  was  a  characteristic  affair.  The  out- 
ward relations  were  different,  but  the  deeper  ties 
were    unbroken.     His    untiring    activity    was    un- 


400        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

abated.  Says  Dr.  Porter,  ''he  had  survived  the  prej- 
udices of  the  people,  and  lived  the  remaining  years 
in  the  kind  regard  and  admiring  reverence  of  all 
classes  of  men  and  all  denominations  of  Christians 
in  the  wide  circle  around  him." 

Of  the  closing  scene,  his  son,  Rev.  Robert  Mc- 
Ewen,  D.  D.,  wrote,  "his  last  sickness,  with  a  sin- 
gle exception,  was  his  only  one.  It  came  upon  him 
when  his  relish  of  life  was  unbroken,  and  its  strength 
was  apparently  undiminished.  The  day  that  he  was 
prostrated,  he  was  in  all  his  vigor  and  buoyancy, 
climbing  his  black-heart  cherry-tree,  to  gather  bas- 
kets full  for  his  children  and  neighbors.  A  slight 
cold  from  the  exertion  was  perhaps,  the  cause  of 
his  illness;  but  there  he  was,  cast  down  for  nine 
weeks,  into  the  most  heart-sinking,  and  sometimes 
distressing  helplessness.  Yet  through  it  all  he  was 
quiet,  patient,  cheerful;  not  a  murmur,  not  a  sigh 
of  fretfulness  or  complaint  escaped  him.  Bent  on 
recovery  he  yet  waited  submissively  for  the  event. 
And  here  it  was  that  his  characteristic  reserve,  as  to 
his  religious  feelings,  had  its  climax.  His  dying 
was  but  his  way  of  living  to  the  last.  To  a  beloved 
relative  who  ventured  a  remark  assuming  what  his 
state  of  mind  must  be  in  view  of  his  condition,  his 
answer,  with  a  piercing  gleam  flashing  from  his 
eye  was,  T  did  not  say  so.'  He  would  not  say 
what  he  might  have  said,  because  he  might  have 
been  expected  to  say  it.  He  would  be  himself  to  the 
end.     So  he  endured  until,  in  the  night  of  Septem- 


mcewen's  ministry.  401 

ber  7,  i860,  he  suddenly  awakened  from  a  deep 
slumber,  and  passed  away. 

''The  whole  city  was  moved  at  his  death.  Not 
the  parish  only,  but  the  entire  community  rose  up  to 
honor  him  at  his  burial ;  assuming  the  entire  care 
and  expense  of  the  occasion ;  mourning  for  him  as 
they  had  mourned  for  no  other,  regarding  him  as 
'their  man  of  all  men,'  'a  great  man,  and  a  Prince 
among  them.'  " 

He  had  been  identified  with  the  highest  intel- 
lectual, social,  and  moral  interests  of  the  city  for 
more  than  half  a  century.  No  man  had  been  more 
widely  known  and  honored.  It  was  natural  that 
the  whole  people  should  feel  the  deep  bereavement 
of  his  loss.  His  monument  stands  in  Cedar  Grove 
Cemetery.     It  bears  this  inscription. 

Abel  McEwen  S.   T.   D. 

Pastor  of  the  First  Church 

New  London 

Fifty-Four  Years 

Born  Feb.  13,  1780 

Died  Sept.  7,  1860. 

The  children  of  Abel  McEwen  and  Sarah  Battell 
were  the  following: 

Robert  who  was  born  June  22,  1808.  He  grad- 
uated from  Yale  College  in  1827.  He  was  a  Home 
Missionary  in  the  West ;  was  pastor  of  the  South 
Church  in  Middletown  from  1835  to  1838;  was  pas- 
tor in  Enfield,  Mass.,  for  twenty  years,  till  1861, 
when  he  returned  to  New  London,  where  he  died 
August  29,  1883. 


402      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Charlotte  who  was  born  February  9,  1810.  In 
1834  she  married  Cortland  Latimer  of  Norwalk, 
Ohio. 

Sarah  who  was  born  May  25,  1812.  She  mar- 
ried Henry  Garrett  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

William  who  was  born  May  29,  1814.  He  re- 
moved to  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Ann  Buckingham  who  was  born  January  15, 
1817.     She  died  November  14,  1832. 

Harriet  who  was  born  September  15,  1819, 
she  died  July  18,  1832. 

John  Battell  who  was  born  April  19,  182 1,  he 
lived  in  Norwich  and  died  October  i,  1861. 

Although  his  active  pastorate  closed  April  i, 
1854  his  real  pastorate  continued  till  September  7, 
i860,  when  he  awoke  in  the  night  from  a  deep  slum- 
ber to  answer  a  call  to  the  church  of  the  first  born 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  He  made  for  himself 
a  name  which  will  live,  when  the  noted  names  of 
earth  are  forgotten.  He  won  an  incorruptable 
crown.  He  was  great  in  those  imperial  qualities 
which  belong  to  eternal  greatness  of  soul.  His 
most  lasting  monument  is  the  church  upon  which 
he  left  the  impress  of  his  own  great,  strong  char- 
acter. 


THOriAS  p.  FIELD. 


XIV. 

TH^   MINISTRY   ON   THOMAS   P.  FIELD,  D.  D. 

1856-1876. 


Upon  the  relinquishment  of  the  active  duties  of 
the  pastorate  by  Dr.  McEwen  in  1854,  the  church 
and  society  immediately  addressed  themselves  to 
the  task  of  securing  an  associate  pastor,  who  should 
take  up  these  duties.     On  the  seventh  of  February, 

1854,  at  a  meeting  of  the  society,  it  was  voted  that 
"the  society's  committee  be  and  they  are  hereby  au- 
thorized to  provide  for  the  temporary  supply  of  the 
pulpit  after  the  first  day  of  April  next,  until  other- 
wise directed  by  the  society;  and  also  to  seek  for 
and  engage  for  a  period  of  service,  not  longer  than 
three  months,  a  minister,  whom  they  may  have  rea- 
son to  hope  will  prove  satisfactory,  to  preach,  as 
a  candidate  for  settlement,  as  colleague  pastor  in 
this  church  and  society."  May  15  the  powers  of 
the  committee  were  extended  and  they  were  author- 
ized to  engage  the  services  of  a  minister  to  supply 
the  pulpit  for  a  period  not  exceeding  one  year.  In 
compliance  with  the  foregoing  instructions,  the 
committee  engaged  Rev.  James  Hoyt,  then  of  Stam- 
ford, who  supplied  the  pulpit  until  the  summer  of 

1855.  At  a  society's  meeting  duly  warned  for  that 
purpose,  held  July  30,  1855,  it  was  'Voted  that  we 


404      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

invite  the  Rev.  James  Hoyt  to  be  settled  over  this 
society  in  the  Gospel  ministry;  *  *  ^'  that  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  annually  be  offered  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Hoyt,  as  a  salary  during  his  continuance  in  the  work 
of  the  ministry  over  this  society,  and  that  said  sal- 
ary be  paid  quarterly;  *  *  *  that  the  committee 
of  this  society  furnish  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hoyt  a  copy 
of  these  votes,"  with  a  request  for  a  reply.  There 
is  no  record  of  any  action  of  the  church  in  the  case. 
The  vote  of  the  society  was  not  unanimous.  On 
the  informal  ballot  it  stood,  Yeas  twenty-three. 
Nays  sixteen.  On  the  formal  ballot  it  stood.  Yeas 
fifteen,  Nays  ten.  This  vote  could  hardly  be  accept- 
ed by  a  wise  man.  It  was  therefore  declined  by  Mr. 
Hoyt  in  the  following  letter. 

To  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  New  London: 

Brethren  and  friends:  The  invitation  you  have  extended 
to  me  to  be  settled  over  you  in  the  Gospel  Ministry  has  been 
duly  considered,  and  I  hereby  communicate  to  you  respectfully 
my  decision  to  decline  the  proposed  settlement.  For  this 
decision  I  need  assign  no  other  reason  than  that  I  suppose 
it  to  be  in  the  circumstances,  agreeable  to  your  expectation 
and  desire. 

In  the  hope  that  God  will  send  you  a  spiritual  teacher  and 
pastor,  whose  ministrations  will  be  more  profitable  and  ac- 
ceptable than  my  unworthy  labors  have  been;  that  He  will  en- 
rich you  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in  Christ,  and  will  unite 
and  prosper  you  in  every  endeavor  to  build  up  his  kingdom, 
I  am  affectionately  your  servant  in  the  gospel. 

JAMES  HOYT. 

New  London,  August  8,  1855. 


field's  ministry.  405 

This  reply  was  communicated  to  the  society  the 
eleventh  of  August.  The  search  for  a  pastor  must 
still  be  prosecuted.  But  the  people  were  soon  di- 
rected to  the  man  who  was  to  lead  this  flock  of  God 
for  twenty  years.  For  December  4,  1855  the 
church  voted  that  "the  Rev.  Thomas  P.  Field  of 
Amherst  Mass.,  be,  and  is  hereby  invited  to  become 
associate  pastor  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  McEwen."  This 
vote  of  the  church  was  communicated  to  the  society 
by  Andrew  M.  Frink  and  William  H.  Coggeshall, 
at  a  meeting  of  that  body  held  December  6,  1855, 
with  the  request  that  the  society  concur.  This  the 
society  voted  to  do,  and  fixed  the  salary  at  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  "to  be  paid  in  equal  quarter  yearly 
installments."  At  a  subsequent  meeting,  held  De- 
cember 24,  three  hundred  dollars  were  added,  mak- 
ing the  salary  eighteen  hundred  dollars  a  year,  so 
long  as  Dr.  Field  should  remain  pastor  of  the 
church.  This  meeting  was  adjourned  to  December 
31st,  when  the  foregoing  vote,  concerning  the  salary, 
was  so  amended  as  to  read  as  follows  ;  "voted  that  in 
addition  to  the  interest  of  the  bequest  of  six  thous- 
and dollars,  recently  made  to  this  society,  by  the 
late  Jonathan  Coit,  Esqr,  deceased,  for  the  benefit 
of  whoever  may  'officiate  as  parson,'  of  the  society, 
an  amount,  sufficient,  with  such  interest  to  make 
up  the  sum  of  Eighteen  Hundred  Dollars,  be  paid 
to  the  Rev.  Thomas  P.  Field,  each  and  every  year, 
during  the  time  he  shall  be  settled  over  this  society, 
in  the  Gospel  Ministry,  in  quarter  yearly  payments, 
and  after  the  same  rate  for  any  portion  of  a  year 


406      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

during  such  settlement ;  the  society  hereby  guaran- 
teeing that  the  said  Rev.  Mr.  Field  shall  receive, 
including  the  interest  of  said  bequest,  at  the  rate  o! 
Eighteen  Hundred  Dollars  per  annum,  during  such 
settlement."  Whether  this  vote  was  an  after- 
thought, or  the  bequest  had  become  available  be- 
tween December  6  and  December  31,  does  not  ap- 
pear. The  Hon.  Nathan  Belcher  was  appointed  to 
convey  the  vote  to  Dr.  Field,  on  the  part  of  the  so- 
ciety; as  Dea.  Andrew  M.  Frink,  and  Dea.  William 
H.  Coggshall  had  been  appointed  by  the  church  to 
convey  its  vote  to  him.  In  reply  he  wrote,  declin- 
ing the  call,  as  follows  : 

Amherst,  Jany.  9,  1856. 
Dear  Sir: 

After  serious  consideration  of  the  subject  I  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  is  my  duty  not  to  accept  the  invitation 
of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  society  in  New  London,  to  become 
associate  Pastor  with  Dr.  McEwen.  It  is  not  necessary  that 
I  should  state  all  the  reasons  that  have  led  me  to  this  de- 
cision. 

The  unanimity  manifested  in  the  call,  and  the  subsequent 
proceedings  of  the  society,  awakened  within  me  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  people;  and  led  me  to  hope  that  I  might  labor 
with  them  successfully  in  the  Gospel  Ministry;  but  the  inter- 
ests of  the  college,  and  other  considerations,  seemed  to  re- 
quire that  I  should  remain  here.  I  regret  to  have  kept  the 
society  so  long  in  suspense,  but  circumstances  have  made  it 
unavoidable. 

I  trust  that  some  one  will  soon  be  found  who  will  perform 
the  duties  of  a  pastor  far  more  acceptably  than  I  could. 

Sincerely  yours 
THOMAS  P.  FIELD. 
Hon.  Nathan  Belcher,  Committee^  etc. 


field's  ministry.  407 

It  was  evident  from  this  letter  that  there  was 
some  obstacle  in  the  terms  of  the  call  which  pre- 
vented his  acceptance  of  it.  And  so  the  matter  was 
not  allowed  to  stop  there.  The  church  wanted  him 
for  its  pastor  to  be  associated  with  Dr.  McEwen. 
The  college  wanted  him.  Hon.  Nathan  Belcher  and 
Dea.  Ebenezer  Learned  visited  Amherst  and  held 
an  interview  with  the  faculty  and  with  Dr.  Field. 
As  a  result  of  this  interview  a  meeting  of  the  church 
was  held  January  28,  1856,  at  which  the  following 
votes  were  passed.  "As  there  is  much  cause  to  be- 
lieve, that  the  call  of  this  church,  presented  to  the 
Rev.  Thomas  P.  Field  to  become  its  associate  pas- 
tor with  the  Rev.  Dr.  McEwen,  was  declined  for 
reasons,  many  of  which  have  ceased  to  exist,  and 
that  a  similar  invitation,  if  now  renewed,  would  re- 
ceive his  acceptance.  Voted  that  the  Rev.  Thos.  P. 
Field  of  Amherst  Massachusetts  be,  and  he  is  here- 
by invited  to  become  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  McEwen  as- 
sociate pastor  of  this  church.  Voted  that  Deacons 
Wm.  H.  Coggshall,  Andrew  M.  Frink,  John  W. 
Tibbitts,and  Cortland  Starr  be,  and  they  are,  hereby, 
appointed  a  committee  to  present  to  the  Rev.  Thom- 
as P.  Field  a  copy  of  the  above  vote ;  and  also  to  fur- 
nish a  like  copy  to  the  First  Congregational  society 
in  New  London,  that  said  society  may  unite,  if  it  so 
propose,  in  the  invitation  to  the  Rev.  Thos.  P.  Field 
to  become  associate  pastor  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Mc- 
Ewen in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  to  this  church 
and  society."  A  copy  of  the  foregoing  action  was 
communicated  to  the  society,  at  a  meeting  held  in 


408      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST    CHURCH. 

its  Conference  House  January  31,  1856.  The  socie- 
ty voted  unanimously  to  concur  with  the  church  in 
extending  the  renewed  call,  and  modified  its  former 
vote  relating  to  the  salary,  as  follows :  ''and  this  so- 
ciety hereby  guarantees,  in  all  events,  the  payment 
of  said  salary  of  Eighteen  Hundred  Dollars  to  the 
Rev.  Thomas  P.  Field,  in  quarter  yearly  payments, 
whether  or  not  this  society  receives  from  said  be- 
quest, under  the  will  of  Jonathan  Coit,  Esqr.,  any 
income,  interest  or  benefit  of  any  kind."  It  is  like- 
ly that  one  of  the  reasons  for  his  declining  the 
original  call  was  removed  by  this  vote.  Adam  F. 
Prentis,  Rial  Chaney  and  William  C.  Crump  were 
appointed  a  committee  on  the  part  of  the  society 
with  the  committee  of  the  church  to  communicate 
the  united  votes  of  the  church  and  society  to  Dr. 
Field.  The  renewed  call  had  its  desired  effect,  for 
Feb.  7,  1856,  he  wrote  to  the  committee  as  follows : 

Gentlemen — I  herewith  communicate,  through  you,  to  the 
First  Church  and  society  in  New  London  my  acceptance  of  the 
invitation  to  become  the  associate  with  the  Revd.  Dr.  McEwen 
in  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  This  new  mark  of  their 
confidence  in  extending  to  me  a  second  call,  will  deepen  and 
strengthen  the  interest  heretofore  awakened  in  the  people, 
and  sustain  and  animate  me  in  my  efforts  for  their  spiritual 
welfare.  I  cannot  state  now  definitely  at  what  time  I  shall 
be  able  to  commence  the  active  duties  of  the  ministry,  but  I 
will  endeavor  to  do  so,  as  soon  as  possible,  after  the  close  of 
the  present  college  term.  I  shall  expect  four  Sabbaths  an- 
nually for  relief  and  rest  from  Pulpit  and  Parochial  labors. 

Conscious  of  my  insufiBciency  for  the  adequate  performance 
of  the  solemn  and  responsible  duties  of  the  pastoral  office, 
I  must  rely  on  the  kind  and  cordial  cooperation  of  the  mem- 


field's  ministry.  409 

bers  of  the  church  and  society,  and  above  all  on  that  Divine 
Spirit,  without  whose  gracious  influences  all  our  efforts  will 
be  in  vain.  Sincerely  and  affectionately  yours, 

THOMAS  P.  FIELD. 
Messrs  Adam  F.  Prentis,  Rial  Chaney,  Wm.  C.  Crump. 

The  meeting  of  the  society  at  which  this  letter 
was  read  was  held  Feb.  ii,  1856.  At  this  meeting 
it  was  voted  "that  the  Rev.  Thomas  P.  Field  shall 
have  an  annual  vacation  of  four  weeks,"  and  this 
agreement  was  adopted  as  part  of  the  terms  of  set- 
tlement. Their  doings  were  communicated  to  him; 
and  so  without  a  break  the  pastorate  of  this  church 
was  continued.  At  the  same  meeting  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  act  with  Dr.  Field,  and  a  similar 
committee  appointed  by  the  church  to  call  a  council 
to  install  the  new  pastor  at  such  time  as  might  be 
agreeable  to  him.  February  i8th  a  meeting  of  the 
church  was  held  concerning  the  approaching  instal- 
lation, whose  doings  were  reported  to  Dr.  Field  by 
Dea.  John  W.  Tibbitts.     The  following  is  his  reply : 

Amherst,  Feb,  26,  1856. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  have  received  your  letter  accompanying  a  copy  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  First  Church  in  New  London  at  a  meeting  hold- 
en  on  Monday  evening  18  inst.  For  which  accept  my  thanks. 
I  am  unable  now  to  assign  the  day  for  the  Installation,  but 
wil  give  you  notice  in  season  for  all  necessary  preparations. 

Very  Respectfully  Yrs. 

THOS.   P.   FIELD. 
John  W.  Tibbitts,  Esqr. 

He  fixed  the  day  later  and  was  installed  as  asso- 
ciate pastor  of  the  church  June  6,  1856.     The  only 


410       LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

record  which  can  be  found  is  in  the  handwriting  of 
Dr.  Field,  in  which  he  says  that  Dr.  Wm.  A. 
Stearns,  the  president  of  Amherst  College,  preached 
the  sermon,  Dr.  McEwen  gave  the  charge  to  the 
pastor,  and  Dr.  Tryon  Edwards  of  the  Second 
church  in  New  London  gave  the  right  hand  of  fel- 
lowship. 

Dr.  Field  was  born  in  Northfield,  Mass.,  Janu- 
ary 12,  1814.  He  graduated  from  Amherst  college 
in  the  class  of  1834.  Among  his  classmates  was 
Henry  Ward  Beecher. 

He  studied  theology  at  Andover  for  two  years ; 
was  tutor  at  Amherst  from  1837  to  1839,  and  re- 
turned to  Andover  and  graduated  in  1840.  It  cer- 
tainly is  strong  testimony  to  his  rare  scholarly  at- 
tainments that  his  alma  mater  call  him  to  be  an  in- 
structor among  her  notable  professors  and  teachers 
so  soon  after  his  graduation  and  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-three. 

He  was  called  to  the  Congregational  Church  in 
South  Danvers,  Mass.,  now  Peabody,  and  was  or- 
dained October  8,  1840.  His  pastorate  at  Peabody 
continued  till  some  time  in  the  year  1850,  when  he 
was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Troy,  N.  Y.  Here  he  remained 
till  1853  5  when  his  alma  mater,  remembering  his 
fidelity  and  ability  as  an  instructor,  while  he  was  tu- 
tor in  that  institution,  called  him  to  the  chair  of  rhet- 
oric, oratory  and  English  literature.  This  chair  he 
held  till  he  was  called  to  New  London. 

Dr.  Field  addressed  himself  at  once  to  the  work 


field's  ministry.  411 

awaiting  him  in  his  new  field  of  labor,  with  earnest- 
ness and  vigor.  For  four  years  he  was  associated 
with  Dr.  McEwen,  and  the  relations  between  them 
were  uniformly  of  a  cordial  character.  And  when 
his  aged  associate  was  no  more  he  said :  "And  now 
that  he  has  gone  up  to  his  reward,  I  cry  with  the 
prophet  of  old,  'My  Father,  my  Father !  the  chariot 
of  Israel  and  the  horseman  thereof.'  "  Of  his  re- 
lation to  his  elder  associate.  Dr.  Field  said  at  Dr. 
McEwen's  funeral:  *'I  cannot  refrain  however  from 
saying,  that  in  the  delicate  relationship  I  have  sus- 
tained to  him  here,  there  has  ever  been  to  me  the 
kindness  of  a  father  to  a  son.  He  was  ever  ready 
to  give  me  advice  and  help  when  it  was  asked;  he 
never  once  obtruded  it  upon  me." 

It  was  no  small  task  to  follow  in  the  pulpit  a  man 
of  the  intellectual  power  of  Dr.  McEwen,  whose 
fame  had  gone  over  all  the  state,  whose  hand  had 
been  in  all  its  religious  enterprises,  whose  influence 
was  felt  and  acknowledged  in  ecclesiastical  matters 
and  who  was  regarded  as  an  authority  upon  all  ec- 
clesiastical questions.  But  the  fact  that  Dr.  Field 
held  his  place  here  in  the  pulpit  for  over  twenty 
years,  to  the  satisfaction  of  those  who  were  accus- 
tomed to  sit  under  his  preaching,  and  that  he  left 
greatly  to  the  regret  of  the  large  majority  of  his 
people,  proves  that,  while  he  was  of  a  different  type 
of  intellect  from  Dr.  McEwen,  yet  he  was  no  mean 
successor  in  the  line  of  apostolic  succession  which 
had  been  held  with  such  conspicuous  ability. 

An  interesting  reminiscence  belongs  here.     Cer- 


412      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

tain  expressions  used  by  the  parish  in  the  negotia- 
tions between  it  and  Dr.  McEwen  on  the  occasion 
of  his  laying  down  the  active  duties  of  the  pastor- 
ate, were  understood  by  him  as  expressing  the  de- 
sire that  he  should  take  no  part  whatever  in  any  of 
the  services  of  the  church.  Accordingly  he  refused 
to  let  his  voice  be  heard,  and,  when  asked  by  Dr. 
Field  to  take  some  part,  promptly  and  emphatically 
declined,  giving  as  a  reason  the  expressions  which 
he  interpreted  to  mean  that  he  should  keep  silence. 
In  view  of  this  feeling,  and  its  cause,  on  the  part 
of  the  venerable  senior  pastor,  the  society,  at  a  spec- 
ial meeting  called  for  that  purpose,  August  ii,  1856, 
passed  the  following  preamble  and  resolution. 

Whereas  our  senior  pastor,  the  Revd,  Doct.  McEwen,  by 
reason  of  some  expressions  used  in  the  negotiations  and  com- 
munications between  us  respecting  his  release  from  official 
responsibility  in  the  active  duties  of  the  pastorate,  seems  not 
to  feel  at  liberty  to  take  part  in  our  religious  services. 

Resolved  that  such  construction  of  any  language  used  in 
the  above  matter  was  never  in  our  thoughts,  and  is  deprecated 
by  us;  and  we  earnestly  request  that  it  may  no  longer  oper- 
ate with  him. 

Adam  F.  Prentis  was  appointed  a  committee  to 
communicate  the  foregoing  to  Dr.  McEwen.  It 
had  the  desired  effect.  Nor  did  the  misunderstand- 
ing afifect  in  the  least  the  cordial  relations  which 
from  the  first  existed  between  the  senior  and  jun- 
ior pastors.  It  is  not  surprising  that  the  proud  spir- 
ited man,  who  had  led  this  flock  for  half  a  century, 
was  acutely  sensitive  on  laying  down  his  life  work. 


field's  ministry.  413 

But  the  ample  apology  couched  in  the  terms  of  the 
foregoing  vote  was  accepted  in  the  spirit  in  which 
it  was  given,  the  seal  was  taken  from  Dr.  McEwen's 
lips,  and  his  voice  was  often  heard  till  death  hushed 
it. 

In  1858,  two  years  after  Dr.  Field's  installation, 
a  season  of  special  religious  interest  visited  the 
church.  Forty-five  were  received  into  membership, 
mostly  upon  profession  of  faith.  The  church  grew 
in  strength  and  power  under  his  ministry.  He 
seems  to  have  been  a  practical  preacher,  as  one  or 
two  incidents  show.  At  one  time  he  preached  from 
the  text,  "Be  ye  kind  one  to  another."  A  stranger 
in  the  audience  was  so  impressed  by  it  that  he  wrote 
a  letter  to  Dr.  Field  the  next  day  thanking  him  for 
the  discourse,  which  made  him  resolve  hereafter  to 
be  governed  by  a  more  gentle  spirit.  On  another 
occasion  he  preached  from  the  text,  "Love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself."  It  was  the  means  of  changing 
the  purpose  of  a  man  who  had  planned  to  purchase 
some  property  and  devote  it  to  the  business  of  sell- 
ing intoxicating  liquors. 

At  Andover  Dr.  Field  came  under  the  instruction 
of  Dr.  Justin  Edwards  who  was  President  of  the 
seminary  from  1836  to  1842;  of  the  famous  Moses 
Stuart,  professor  of  sacred  literature  from  1810  to 
1848;  of  Dr.  Bela  B.  Edwards,  who  was  professor 
of  Hebrew  from  1837  to  1848;  of  Dr.  Leonard 
Woods,  who  was  professor  of  theology  from  1808  to 
1846;  of  Dr.  Ralph  Emerson,  who  was  professor  of 
ecclesiastical  history  from  1829  to  1853;  and  of  Dr. 


414       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Edwards  A.  Park,  who  was  professor  of  sacred  rhet- 
oric from  1836  to  1847.  He  could  not  but  feel  the 
touch  of  these  minds,  some  of  which  have  had  few 
equals  and  no  superiors  in  these  latter  days.  He 
was  himself  a  scholar  of  wide  reach  of  information 
and  of  fine  literary  taste. 

Under  his  ministry  the  church  enjoyed  a  contin- 
uance of  the  missionary  training  which  it  had  had 
under  Dr.  McEwen.  He  was  accustomed  to  hold 
monthly  concerts  of  prayer  for  missions,  for  he 
speaks  of  the  vivid  sketches  given  at  one  a  few 
months  before  his  death,  by  Dr.  McEwen,  of  the 
pioneers  of  foreign  missionary  work.  He  was  elect- 
ed a  corporate  member  of  the  American  Board  in 
1873,  and  he  held  his  membership  till  his  death. 

His  attitude  upon  the  subject  of  foreign  missions 
may  be  learned  from  his  justly  famous  reply  to  Rev. 
W.  H.  H.  Murray,  who  had  lectured  here  upon  Civ- 
ilized Heathen  and  given  utterance  to  some  of  the 
current  and  pseudo-liberal  gibes  about  preaching 
the  gospel  among  the  unevangelized  peoples  of  the 
globe.  This  aroused  Dr.  Field.  The  lecturer's 
claim  that  the  heathen  should  be  let  alone  he  could 
not  suffer  to  go  unchallenged.  He  therefore 
preached  a  sermon  in  reply  on  the  morning  of  Jan- 
uary 4,  1874.  It  produced  so  profound  an  impres- 
sion that  he  was  asked  to  deliver  it  in  Lawrence  hall, 
which  he  did  Tuesday  evening,  January  6.  The  hall 
was  packed  and  the  address  was  received  with 
marked  favor.  The  reply  to  the  lecturer  shows  how 
utterly  without  foundation  were  his  statements,  and 


field's  ministry.  415 

that  he  painted  heathenism  "vastly  whiter  than 
it  is."  Let  me  quote  a  few  of  his  closing  sentences. 
"Our  missionaries  are  faithful  men,  using  every  mo- 
tive to  dissuade  them  (the  heathen)  from  all  vice, 
and  urging  to  the  practice  of  all  virtues.  That  is 
the  record  of  all  intelligent  and  candid  travellers 
among  the  heathen.  *  *  *  Mr.  Murray's  presen- 
tation of  the  beauties  of  heathenism  is  a  mere  work 
of  the  imagination." 

Some  of  the  doings  of  the  church  during  this  pas- 
torate belong  to  its  history.  September  27,  1865, 
it  was  voted  to  hold  a  semiannual  meeting  of  the 
church  for  the  consideration  of  its  affairs,  on  the 
second  Thursday  evening  of  October  and  of  April 
in  each  year.  This  custom  was  changed  March  3, 
1893,  so  as  to  hold  an  annual  meeting  the  Friday 
evening  after  the  first  Sunday  in  January,  in  order 
to  make  the  church  year  identical  with  the  year  of 
the  state  conference,  which  compiles  the  statistics 
of  all  the  churches  from  January  to  January. 

At  the  meeting  held  September  27,  1865,  a  com- 
mittee of  discipline  was  appointed  "to  expedite" 
such  matters.  The  first  members  of  this  committee 
were  William  H.  Starr,  Adam  F.  Prentis,  and  Ezra 
C.  Whittlesey.  It  was  continued  throughout  Dr. 
Field's  pastorate.  It  was  not  without  a  reason  for 
its  existence,  as  several  troublesome  cases  prove. 

The  church  was  not  neglectful  of  its  duty  in  this 
regard.  Later  this  committee  seems  to  have  been 
discontinued.  It  was  revived  by  vote  of  the  church 
May  5,  1899. 


416      LATER  HISTORY   OP   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

The  question  of  the  choice  of  deacons  arose  in 
1867,  and  October  23,  Adam  F.  Prentis  and  Joshua 
C.  Learned  were  elected  and  inducted  into  the  of- 
fice. There  were  also  appointed  committees  on 
strangers,  on  visiting  the  sick,  etc.  At  the  semi- 
annual meeting  in  October,  1865  it  was  "voted  that 
when  a  letter  of  dismissal  is  requested  two  weeks 
notice  be  given  from  the  pulpit."  This  was  amend- 
ed November  22,  1871,  by  striking  out  the  words, 
''two  weeks."  As  thus  amended  the  rule  is  still  in 
use. 

At  the  semi-annual  meeting  in  April,  1868,  "it 
was  voted  to  appoint  a  committee  to  consider 
whether  it  be  advisable  to  have  a  new  Hymn  Book 
in  the  church,  and  to  examine  books  with  reference 
to  this  object.  W.  W.  Sheffield,  Joshua  C.  Learned, 
W.  C.  Crump  and  E.  C.  Whittlesey  were  appointed 
as  that  committee."  There  is  nothing  to  show  that 
this  committee  made  any  report  to  the  church.  But 
at  the  semi-annual  meeting  in  April  1870,  ''it  was 
voted,  that  the  Pastor  examine  and  recommend 
for  the  use  of  the  church  a  suitable  hymn  book." 
In  the  following  November  Dr.  Field  reported  the 
result  of  his  investigation  and  recommended  the 
adoption  of  "Songs  for  the  Sanctuary."  Accord- 
ingly it  was  voted,  at  an  adjourned  meeting,  held 
December  6,  "that  on  and  after  the  ist  Day  of  Jan- 
uary A.  D.  1871  the  book  entitled  'Songs  for  the 
Sanctuary'  be  adopted  and  used  as  the  hymn-book 
of  this  church."  This  book  continued  in  use  until 
May  14,  1899,  when  by  vote  of  the  church  taken 


field's  ministry.  417 

March  24,  a  new  book,  entitled  "In  Excelsis,"  was 
introduced. 

At  the  semi-annual  meeting  October  29,  1868  it 
was  voted  ''that  a  clerk  of  the  church  be  appointed 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  record  the  baptisms,  ad- 
missions to  the  church  by  letter  or  on  profession 
of  faith,  and  all  acts  and  doings  of  the  church  of 
whatever  nature."  William  Belcher  was  elected  to 
that  office,  and  so  seems  to  have  been  the  first  stated 
clerk  of  the  church  in  all  its  history.  At  this  meet- 
ing also  it  was  voted  to  pay  the  expenses  of  dele- 
gates sent  by  the  church  to  conferences  and  coun- 
cils ;  a  custom  still  in  use. 

Various  records  are  made  of  election  of  delegates 
to  conferences,  to  councils  called  by  sister  churches, 
to  install  and  dismiss  pastors,  and  to  give  advice  in 
other  matters  vitally  touching  the  welfare  of  the 
whole  sisterhood  of  churches.  One  action  of  this 
kind  is  worth  noting  because  of  its  relation  to  a 
notable  case.  At  a  special  meeting  of  the  churchy 
February  4,  1876,  a  letter  missive  from  the  Ply- 
mouth Church,  Brooklyn,  was  read,  inviting  this 
church  to  sit  on  the  famous  council  called  by  that 
church,  concerning  the  unhappy  controversy  which 
broke  out  not  long  after  Mr.  Beecher's  silver  wed- 
ding in  1872.  After  discussion  the  following  vote, 
offered  by  Rev.  Robert  McEwen  D.  D.,  was  passed 
unanimously.  "Voted  that  the  First  Church  of 
Christ  in  New  London  Connecticut,  from  no  lack 
of  Christian  sympathy  and  courtesy,  but  from  what 
in  the  existing  circumstances  seems  to  them  expe- 


418      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

dient  for  the  denomination  at  large,  must  decline  to 
take  part  in  the  council  to  which  they  are  invited 
by  Plymouth  Church  Brooklyn  New  York." 

It  was  during  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Field  that  first 
mention  was  made  of  a  new  Conference  House,  for 
which  considerable  money  was  raised  which  was 
afterwards  used  in  the  erection  of  the  present  Par- 
ish House.  The  first  mention  that  is  on  record  is  as 
follows :  "An  appeal  was  made  to  the  church  by 
Rev.  Robert  McEwen  D.  D.,  that  the  church  should 
feel  more  spiritual  interest  at  this  time  on  account 
of  the  proposed  erection  of  new  conference  house." 
This  was  October  26,  1869.  Although  it  was  not* 
erected  while  Dr.  Field  remained,  a  beginning  was 
made. 

At  the  semi-annual  meeting  in  April,  1870  "it 
was  voted  that  the  Pastor  and  the  officers  of  the 
church  be  a  committee  to  rearrange  the  list  of  ob- 
jects for  collections  and  the  times  for  taking  the 
collections."  At  a  special  meeting  held  December 
6,  1870,  this  committee  reported  as  follows : 

January,  Collection  for  Home  Missions. 

March,  Collection  for  Congregational  Union. 

May,  Collection  for  Foreign  Evangelical  Union. 

June,  Collection  for  the  Tract  Society. 

July,  Collection  for  Foreign  Missions. 

September,  Collection  for  American  Missionary 
Association. 

November,  Collection  for  Seaman's  Friend  So- 
ciety. 

In  1874  it  was  further  voted  "that  the  annual  col- 


txii     .'.K.ivM    r:' 


AM 


'    •''      LATER  OF  THE    ? 

ciieni  lor  ihe  denominaiioii  ai  large,-  musi 

'  e  part  in  the  council  to  which  they  are  tir 
by  Plymouth  Church  Brooklyn  New  York." 

It  was  during  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Field  that  ■ 
mention  was  made  of  a  new  Conference  Houst . 
which   considerable  money  was  raised  which  was 
afterwards  used  in  the  erection  of  the  present  Par 
ish  House.     The  first  mention  that  is  on  record  is  a^ 
follows :     "An  appeal  was  made  to  the  church  hy^ 
Rev.  Robert  McEwen  D.  D.,  that  the  church  should 
feel  more  spiritual  interest    at  this  time  on  account 
of  the  proposed  erection  of  new  conference  house/' 
This  was  October  26,  1869.     Although  it  was  not ' 
erected  while  Dr.  Field  remained,  a  beginning  was 
made. 

At  the   ^^.  ■■   April,   1870  "it 

wp/     *   "  'le  officers  of  the 

.     the  list  of  ob- 
jects for  collections  and  the  times  for  taking  the 

meeting  held  December 
6,  1870,  this  committee  reported  as  follows : 

January,  Collection  for  Home  Missions. 

March,  Collection  for  Congregational  Union. 

Alay,  Collection  for  Foreign  Evangelical  Union. 

June,  Collection  for  the  Tract  Society. 

July,  Collection  for  Foreign  Missions. 

September,  Collection  for  American  Missionary 
Association. 

November,  Collection  for  Seaman's  Friend  So- 
ciety. 

7r  t9'7\  it  \vT>^  iurfhor  votrd  ''thai  the  annur^i 


THE    PARISH    HOUSE. 


field's  ministry.  419 

lection  for  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
be  taken  in  June,"  and  "that  the  collection  for  the 
Sunday  School  be  taken  in  December."  This  list 
and  this  method  of  taking  the  offerings  of  the 
church  as  reported  by  the  committee  were  adopted. 
It  was  also  voted  at  the  same  meeting  that  a  collec- 
tion be  taken  in  April  for  the  Education  society  and 
for  the  Bible  society  in  August.  This  method  of  se- 
curing the  gifts  of  the  church  to  the  various  ob- 
jects was  continued  till  the  present  system  of  weeklv 
offerings  was  adopted,  April  i8,  1878.  At  the  same 
meeting,  December  6,  1870,  "it  was  voted  that  this 
church  shall  be  referred  to  on  its  records  as  the 
'First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  London.'  " 

At  the  same  meeting,  the  following  resolution  was 
offered.  "Voted  that  the  members  of  the  church  be 
requested  to  join  with  the  Pastor  when  he  repeats 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  during  the  service."  After  dis- 
cussion it  was  voted  to  postpone  action  till  the  next 
semi-annual  meeting.  As  the  matter  was  not  acted 
on  then,  nor  afterwards,  so  far  as  the  records  show, 
it  is  probable  that  the  matter  was  dropped  alto- 
gether. 

December  7,  1875,  it  was  voted  to  drop  the  col- 
lections for  work  in  Papal  lands  and  the  following 
schedule  of  gifts  was  proposed  and  adopted. 

The  third  Sunday  of  January,  Home  Missionary 
Society. 

The  third  Sunday  of  February,  Sunday  School. 

The  third  Sunday  of  March,  Congregational  Un- 
ion. 


420      LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

The  third  Sunday  of  April,  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  third  Sunday  of  May,  Education  Society. 

The  third  Sunday  of  July,  Foreign  Missions. 

The  third  Sunday  of  September,  American  Mis- 
sionary Association. 

The  third  Sunday  of  October,  Bible  Society. 

The  third  Sunday  of  November,  Thanksgiving 
Collection. 

The  third  Sunday  of  December,  Seaman's  Friend 
Society. 

The  acts  and  votes  of  the  parish  also  belong  to  a 
complete  narrative  of  Dr.  Field's  pastoral  relations 
to  this  church.  In  the  call  extended  to  him,  it  will 
be  remembered  that  reference  was  made  to  a  be- 
quest of  Mr.  Jonathan  Coit,  lately  deceased.  At 
that  time  the  society  had  but  lately  come  into  the 
possession  of  this  money.  April  i6,  1856  the  fol- 
lowing votes  were  passed : 

Whereas  the  late  Jonathan  Coit  deceased,  bequeathed  to 
this  society  the  sum  of  six  thousand  dollars,  to  be  invested  at 
their  discretion,  as  a  permanent  fund,  the  interest  of  which 
is  to  be  paid  annually  to  the  clergyman  who  shall  officiate 
as  'parson  of  their  church.' 

Voted  that  this  society  gratefully  acknowledge  the  kind 
feeling  toward  them,  and  the  interest  in  the  religious  wel- 
fare of  his  native  place,  which  prompted  the  testator  to  make 
the  foregoing  gift; 

Voted  that  the  society  accept  said  legacy  according  to  its 
terms,  and  appoint  Messrs.  Ebenezer  Learned  and  Asa  Otis 
as  a  special  committee,  to  receive  said  legacy  from  the  ex- 
ecutors of  said  deceased  whenever  they  shall  be  ready  to  pay 
the  same,  and  to  give  them  in  the  name  of  the  society,  an 
acquittance      therefor,    and    do     further    empower    said    com- 


field's  ministry.  421 

mittee  to  invest  said  legacy  in  such  manner  as  they  shall 
deem  best  with  reference  first  to  security,  and  next  to  the 
income  derivable  therefrom. 

It  seems  that  during  the  early  part  of  Dr.  Field's 
ministry  it  was  the  custom  to  sell  the  pews  in  the 
church  at  auction,  for  a  vote  was  passed  at  the  an- 
nual meeting  in  1857  thanking  "William  M.  Smith 
Esqr,  for  his  services  as  auctioneer  in  selling  the 
slips  for  the  handsome  sum  obtained  therefor." 
The  amount  obtained  was  $2563.  Mr.  Smith  ren- 
dered similar  service  for  several  years.  Later  in 
the  history  of  the  society  the  custom  of  selling  seats 
at  auction  was  abandoned.  The  pews  rented,  in 
subsequent  years  for  sums  varying  from  about 
eighteen  hundred  dollars  to  over  thirty-three  hun- 
dred in  1866. 

In  1857  fears  were  again  expressed  as  to  the 
strength  and  safety  of  the  tower  of  the  church.  At 
a  meeting  held  August  31st  the  society's  committee, 
Adam  F.  Prentis,  Rial  Chaney  and  William  C. 
Crump,  were  instructed  "to  obtain  further  advice  in 
reference  to  the  safety  of  the  tower,  and  their  meet- 
ing house  and  report  to  the  society  at  a  future  meet- 
ing." September  10,  1857,  the  society's  commit- 
tee, having  attended  to  the  duty  imposed  upon  them, 
reported,  and  it  was  "voted  that  this  meeting  is  of 
opinion  that  the  tower  and  steeple  of  the  meeting 
house  should  be  repaired  in  accordance  with  the 
suggestion  given  to  us  by  Mr.  Richard  Bond  of  Bos- 
ton, instead  of  demolishing  and  rebuilding  of  the 
same;  and  the  society's  committee  are  instructed 


422      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

to  make  such  repairs."  These  repairs  necessarily 
involved  considerable  outlay.  Therefore  October 
5,  1857  William  C.  Crump  was  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  negotiate  a  loan  from  the  Savings  Bank  in 
Norwich  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  necessary 
repairs.  The  money  was  obtained  and  expended, 
and  the  tower  now  stands  firmly  in  its  beauty  and 
strength. 

By  vote  of  April  9,  i860  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  society  was  afterwards  to  be  held  on  the  second 
Monday  of  April  in  each  year.  The  vote  is  still  in 
force.  At  this  meeting  of  the  society  it  was  ''voted 
that  the  afternoon  service  hereafter  begin  at  four 
o'clock,"  a  custom  observed  with  little  change  till, 
September,  1898,  when  the  church  voted  to  hold  the 
second  service  at  half  past  seven  o'clock  in  the  ev- 
ening. 

March  13,  1866  two  important  votes  were  passed, 
one  of  them  at  least  pointing  to  the  growing  pros- 
perity of  the  church  under  the  lead  of  its  pastor. 
The  meeting  was  specially  called  to  consider  the  fi- 
nancial condition  of  the  society.  The  first  vote  was 
as  follows :  "Voted  that  is  is  the  sense  of  this  meet- 
ing that  our  current  expenses  as  a  society  should 
be  paid  year  by  year  as  they  arise ;  and  that  previous 
to  the  annual  meeting  in  each  year  the  committee 
for  the  time  being  make  an  estimate  of  the  probable 
expenses  for  the  year  to  come  liberal  enough  to  en- 
sure that  all  but  those  which  are  unusual  and  un- 
foreseen are  included  together  with  any  moderate 
deficit  of  the  year  previous,  and  that  they  assess  the 


FIELD ^S  MINISTRY.  423 

rent  to  be  asked  for  the  following  year  high  enough 
to  meet  these  expected  expenses,  making  a  differ- 
ence of  assessment  to  the  end  that  a  reasonable  num- 
ber of  pews  may  be  had  at  a  rate  not  beyond  the 
means  of  those  of  us  in  more  moderate  circum- 
stances." It  was  also  voted,  at  this  meeting,  that 
the  pastor's  salary,  beginning  with  April  i,  1866, 
be  increased  to  Twenty-two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars ''if  the  money  can  be  raised," — an  addition  of 
four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year  to  that  origin- 
ally offered.  At  the  same  time  it  was  voted  that  the 
singing  in  the  choir  should,  as  far  as  possible  be 
voluntary,  and  that  the  pews  should  be  assessed 
so  as  to  meet  the  proposed  increase  of  the  pastor's 
salary.  After  assessing  the  pews,  and  selling  them 
for  sums  amounting  to  three  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  dollars,  it  was  voted  at  an  ad- 
journed meeting,  April  16,  that  Dr.  Field's  salary  for 
the  ensuing  year  be  fixed  at  twenty-one  hundred 
dollars.  From  which  it  appears  that  the  money 
could  not  be  raised  to  carry  out  to  their  full  meas- 
ure, the  benevolent  intentions  of  the  vote  of  March 
13.  However  the  reason  for  this  appears  in  the 
fact  that  at  the  annual  meting  for  1866  the  treasurer 
reported  a  deficit  of  $833.20.  At  the  annual  meet- 
ing in  1867  a  deficiency  of  $659.97  was  reported. 
Yet  April  2.2  of  that  year  the  salary  of  the  pastor 
was  fixed  at  twenty-two  hundred  dollars  "for  the 
year  ending  April  i,  1868." 

Friday,  March  13,  1868,  the  house  of  worship  of 
the  Second   Congregational   Church  was   burned. 


424      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

The  following  correspondence  took  place  in  con- 
sequence thereof. 

To  the  committee  of  the  Second  Congregational  Society,  New 
London: 

In  view  of  the  recent  loss  by  fire  of  your  house  of  worship, 
we  hereby  tender  you,  with  our  warmest  sympathy,  an  in- 
vitation, to  share  with  us,  in  the  use  of  ours. 

RIAL    CHANEY, 
E.   C.   WHITTLESEY, 
FRANCIS   COIT, 
Committee  First  Cong.  Society, 
New  London,  March  13,  1868. 

New  London,  March  19,  1868. 
To    the    Society's    Committee    of    the    First    Congregational 

Church. 
Gents: 

At  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  2d  Congregational  So- 
ciety held  in  your  conference  room  last  evening  to  consider 
the  subject  of  their  recent  calamity  in  the  loss  of  their  house 
of  worship  by  fire,  it  was  voted,  'that  the  thanks  of  this  Ec- 
clesiastical Society  be  presented  to  the  First  Congregational 
Church  and  Society  for  their  generous  offer  of  the  free  use 
of  their  house  of  worship.'  In  thus  tendering  our  grateful 
acknowledgements  we  are  reminded  that  our  friends  have  fol- 
lowed the  injunction  of  the  Apostle  and  given  all  diligence  to 
add  to  their  godliness,  brotherly  kindness  and  charity. 

As  no  other  Christian  assembly  in  this  city  have  ever  been 
deprived  of  their  house  of  worship  within  the  memory  of  the 
oldest  resident,  we  may  hope  that  neither  ourselves  or  our 
children  will  ever  have  occasion  to  return  in  kind  the  Christ- 
ian courtesy  we  have  now  received,  but  which  we  desire  shall 
nevertheless  be  remembered  by  those  who  come  after  us. 

Voted  that  this  vote  be  entered  in  the  records  of  this  so- 
ciety and  communicated  to  the  church  named  therein. 

O.  A.  MUDGE,  Clerk. 


field's  ministry.  425^ 

It  will  be  remembered  that,  in  1834,  while  this 
society  was  repairing  its  house  of  worship,  the  use 
of  the  house,  just  erected  by  the  Second  Congre- 
gational society  was  tendered  to  this  church,  and 
it  was  thus  the  first  to  occupy  the  building  which, 
in  1868,  was  destroyed  by  fire.  So  the  former 
courtesy  of  the  Second  Society  was  now  returned 
by  this.  A  New  London  paper  of  that  day  says  that 
on  the  Sunday  following  the  fire.  Rev.  G.  B.  Wil- 
cox, the  pastor  of  the  now  houseless  flock,  preached 
to  his  people,  in  the  evening,  in  the  First  Church, 
*'to  one  of  the  largest  audiences  ever  gathered  for 
religious  purposes  in  this  city." 

At  a  meeting  held  August  16,  1870  at  the  society's 
conference  house,  the  subject  of  procuring  a  new 
organ  was  discussed.  A  committee  was  appointed 
consisting  of  W.  H.  Barns,  Horace  Coit  and  A. 
Jantz,  the  organist,  to  procure  an  organ,  to  make 
such  alterations  in  the  church  as  should  be  required 
to  accommodate  the  new  instrument,  to  sell  the  old 
organ  "if  they  think  best,"  and  to  "expend  only 
so  much  money  as  has  been  subscribed  or  may  be 
subscribed  for  this  purpose  with  the  additional 
amount  that  may  be  obtained  for  the  old  organ." 
The  old  organ  which  was  made  by  Hook  and  Hast- 
ings and  placed  in  the  church  at  the  time  it  was 
built,  was  sold  to  Saint  Marks'  Church  in  Mystic, 
where  it  still  is  doing  service.  The  present  fine  in- 
strument was  also  purchased  of  Hook  and  Hastings.. 
The  sum  of  six  thousand  dollars  was  subscribed. 
The  singers'  gallery  was  originally  a  projecting  one^, 


426      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

with  no  connections  with  the  side  galleries.  Chang- 
es were  made  to  the  present  form,  to  accommodate 
the  new  organ.  Mr.  Jantz,  the  organist  at  the  time, 
was  the  chief  mover  in  securing  the  new  and  larger 
instrument. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  society  April  lo, 
1871,  the  society  reported  an  indebtedness  of 
$4227.39,  after  unpaid  pew  rents  were  collected. 
Of  this  sum  $2557.54  accrued  from  repairs  on  the 
spire,  and  $320  for  repairs  on  the  conference  house. 
Notwithstanding  the  large  indebtedness  with  which 
the  society  began  the  new  fiscal  year,  the  salary  of 
Dr.  Field  was  raised  to  twenty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  it  was  ordered  that  the  appraisal  of  pews 
be  raised  twenty-five  per  cent  in  advance  of  the  pre- 
vious year. 

The  following  year,  1872,  the  indebtedness  of  the 
society  reported  at  the  annual  meeting,  was  still 
larger,  but  the  pastor's  salary  was  not  at  all  reduced 
in  consequence.  The  estimated  expenses  for  the 
year  were  four  thousand  seven  hundred  and  five  dol- 
lars, and  the  estimated  receipts  four  thousand  four 
hundred  and  seventy-six.  At  this  annual  meeting 
the  society  passed  the  following  votes. 

Voted  that  the  salary  of  the   organist   of  this  society  be 
$600  per  annum. 

Voted  that  the  Society's  Committee  be  instructed  to  make 
such  arrangements  in  hiring  an  organist  for  the  year  ensuing 
that  he  shall  attend  to  the  leading  of  the  choir  and  musical 
services  of  the  Sabbath  School. 


FIELD ^S  MINISTRY.  427 

Two  Other  votes  were  passed  by  the  society  at 
its  annual  meeting  in  1872,  which  read  somewhat 
strangely  to  our  ears  today,  when  all  such  matters 
are  left  to  the  decision  of  the  church. 

Voted  that  we  recognize  the  Sunday  School  as  an  essential 
and  life-giving  branch  of  the  church,  and  as  such  it  should 
he  maintained. 

Voted  that  an  annual  collection  be  taken  in  the  church  of 
this  society  on  some  Sunday  in  September  to  aid  in  defray- 
ing the  expenses  of  the  Sabbath  School. 

In  1873  the  following  order  was  also  passed. 

Whereas  the  late  Miss  Eliza  A.  Bull  of  Cheshire  in  this 
state  bequeathed  to  this  society  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, the  interest  of  it  to  be  expended  by  Mrs.  Robert  Mc- 
Ewen  and  Miss  A.  R.  Lockwood  for  the  benefit  of  poor  wo- 
men, members  of  the  church  in  this  society. 

Voted  that  the  society  accept  the  trust  of  said  legacy,  direct 
the  treasurer  to  receive  and  deposit  the  same  in  the  New 
London  Savings  Bank  in  the  name  of  the  treasurer  of  the  so- 
ciety, and  from  time  to  time  pay  over  the  interest  as  it  ac- 
crues to  the  above  ladies  for  expenditure  in  accordance  with 
the  said  will. 

This  bequest  is  still  carrying  out  the  benevolent 
purpose  of  the  donor.  The  will  provided  that  on 
the  death  of  either  of  the  ladies  named,  or  their  suc- 
cessors, the  pastor  of  the  church  should  appoint  oth- 
ers to  fill  the  vacancy.  On  the  death  of  Miss  A.  R. 
Lockwood  and  Mrs.  McEwen,  Miss  Anna  C.  Learn- 
ed and  Miss  Mary  I.  Lockwood  were  appointed  in 
their  places. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1874  the  society's  indebt- 


428      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

edness  was  reported  to  be  larger  than  the  year  be- 
fore. At  the  next  annual  meeting  it  had  increased 
by  over  five  hundred  dollars,  and  steps  were  taken 
looking  towards  its  reduction.  In  1876,  the  indebt- 
edness had  reached  the  sum  of  $6676.29.  It  was 
also  voted  that  a  collection  for  the  society  be  taken 
on  each  Sunday  when  no  other  was  taken.  The 
debt  began  by  the  expensive  repairs  made  on  the 
tower.  It  was  not  liquidated  till  Deacon  Otis,  at 
his  death,  left  the  society  ten  thousand  dollars,  part 
of  which  was  used  for  that  purpose. 

January  21,  1876,  at  a  meeting  specially  called, 
the  following  vote  was  passed,  namely,  ''that  the 
committee  is  authorized  to  confer  with  the  city  au- 
thorities in  respect  to  a  new  bell  on  the  basis  of  the 
city  replacing  the  bell  now  cracked,  with  a  new  one 
which  shall  be  the  property  of  the  society  to  be 
used  for  all  our  purposes  but  also  for  and  by  the 
city  as  they  may  have  occasion  for  it  by  clock  or 
by  ringing  for  public  purposes  as  heretofore  while 
the  bell  lasts  fit  for  use,  what  can  be  got  for  the 
present  bell  to  go  toward  the  price  of  the  new." 
The  fifteenth  of  February  the  society  authorized 
the  committee  to  purchase  a  bell  for  the  city  at  a 
price  not  to  exceed  the  appropriation  made  by  the 
city,  and  whatever  subscriptions  they  might  secure. 
The  bell  was  purchased,  and  still  hangs  in  the  tower 
of  the  church,  and,  by  the  foregoing  arrangement 
with  the  city,  is  also  used  by  it  to  summon  town 
meetings,  to  sound  alarms  of  fire  and  to  ring  the 
midday  bell  and  the  curfew. 


FIELD ^S  MINISTRY.  429 

In  1876  another  important  event  occurred.  The 
society  came  into  the  possession  of  the  house  now 
used  as  its  parsonage.  The  following  votes  tell  the 
story. 

Whereas  Mrs.  Susan  I.  Potter,  late  of  New  London,  de- 
vises to  this  society,  subject  to  a  life  estate  therein  given  to 
her  sister  Sarah  Smith,  lately  deceased,  the  dwelling  house 
and  premises  owned  and  occupied  by  the  testatrix  in  this 
town  on  the  corner  of  Federal  and  Huntington  streets,  'for 
the  maintenance  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  by  said  society 
by  the  use  of  said  premises  as  and  for  a  parsonage  for  said 
society  forever,  and  to  no  other  use  whatever,'  and  provided 
that,  'if  at  any  time  the  said  society  shall  divert  such  prem- 
ises to  any  other  use  the  title  of  said  society  in  said  premises 
shall  be  forfeited,'  and  the  premises  are  devised  therefrom 
'to  the  American  Seaman's  Friend  Society  of  New  York.' 
Therefore 

Voted  that,  acknowledging  the  good  will  and  kindness  of 
the  testatrix  in  making  this  devise,  this  society  accepts  the 
same  as  made  and  directs  its  committee  to  take  possession 
of  the  premises  on  our  behalf,  and  to  limit  the  use  of  the 
same   according  to   the  gift. 

Although  this  valuable  estate  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  the  society  during  the  ministry  of  Dr. 
Field,  he  never  occupied  it.  His  successor  was  the 
first  pastor  to  live  in  the  new  parsonage. 

The  ministry  of  Dr.  Field  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
March  16,  1876,  at  a  special  meeting  of  the  so- 
ciety, it  was  "voted  that  a- vacation  of  three  months 
be  granted  to  Dr.  Field,  he  wishing  to  visit  his  son," 
who  was  very  sick  in  Japan.  This  was  the  first  of 
the  closing  acts  of  the  pastorate  which  had  begun 
twenty  years  before.     The  next  step  was  his  res- 


430      LATER   HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

ignation.  After  a  prolonged  absence,  not  knowing 
how  soon  he  could  return  to  his  pastoral  duties, 
and  being  unwilling  to  ask  the  church  and  society 
for  further  leave  of  absence,  he  wrote  a  letter, 
through  Mr.  Leonard  C.  Learned,  resigning  his 
pastorate.     The  letter  was  as  follows : 

San  Francisco,  Cal., 

September  21,  1876. 
Mr.   L.   C.   Learned,   Chairman  Committee  First  Ecclesiastical 

Society. 
My  Dear  Friend: 

I  write  to  say  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  return  as  soon  as 
I  supposed  I  should  when  I  left  New  London.  Indeed  I  find 
the  climate  here  so  genial  and  invigorating  that  I  am  inclined 
to  stay  longer  than  the  special  object  for  which  I  came  would 
require.  My  sickness  of  last  fall,  after  about  twenty  years  of 
continuous  labor  in  New  London,  has  so  far  impaired  my 
health  and  strength,  that  I  have  an  oppressive  sense  of  my 
inability  adequate  to  do  the  duties  of  a  minister  in  New  Lon- 
don during  the  coming  winter.  I  need  a  considerable  period 
of  absolute  rest,  and  yet  I  can  not  ask  my  church  to  wait 
my  time  of  return  to  my  labors.  I  feel  constrained  therefore 
to  resign  my  pastoral  office  in  New  London.  With  many 
thanks  to  the  church  and  congregation  for  their  kindness  to 
me  and  mine  through  these  many  years  and  with  my  best 
wishes  and  fervent  prayers  for  their  peace  and  prosperity  in 
the  future,  I  am  your  friend  and  pastor, 

THOMAS  P.  FIELD. 

P.  S.  You  will  please  communicate  to  the  church  and  so- 
ciety the  substance  of  this  letter.  A  council  can  be  called 
at  their  convenience  to  dissolve  the  pastoral  relation  without 
my  presence.     T.  P.  F. 

This    letter    was    communicated    to    the    church 
which  took  action  October  g,  1876,  at  a  meeting 


field's  ministry.  431 

"called  to  consider  a  communication  from  Rev.  T. 
P.  Field,  D.  D.,  to  his  people,"  as  follows: 

This  church  regrets  deeply  that  their  pastor,  Dr,  Field,  has 
proposed  to  resign  his  charge,  and  most  reluctantly  will  they 
be  brought  to  consent  to  the  sundering  of  ties,  which  so  long 
and  so  pleasantly  have  bound  him  to  his  people.  Their  first 
impulse  would  be  to  ask  Dr.  Field  to  reconsider  and  withdraw 
his  resignation.  But  since  he  grounds  his  proposal  on  his 
impaired  state  of  health  past  and  present,  and  his  uncertain 
prospect  of  health  for  the  future,  and  since  his  own  best 
knowledge  of  the  necessities  of  his  case  must  ultimately  de- 
cide it,  the  church  waives  all  action  towards  delay  on  their 
part,  and  come  at  once  to  the  following  vote; 

That  if  Dr.  Field,  on  hearing  from  them  shall  still  feel 
constrained  to  resign,  this  church  will  unite  with  him,  the 
Ecclesiastical  Society  concurring  in  calling  a  council  of 
churches  at  sometime  mutually  convenient,  to  dissolve  the 
relation  between  him  and  his  pastoral  charge. 

In  communicating  this  vote  to  Dr.  Field,  the  clerk  is  di- 
rected to  add  the  following  statement;  That  this  action  of  the 
church  is  solely  on  the  precise  proposal  of  the  pastor  to  resign 
his  charge,  that  nothing  is  done  in  the  way  of  extending  to 
him  a  temporary  supension  of  labors,  in  part,  because  he  does 
not  ask  it,  but  especially  because  in  the  peculiar  circumstances 
of  this  society,  it  seems  neither  wise  nor  expedient  for  this 
people  to  be  so  long,  as  to  full  pastoral  service,  in  a  broken 
condition,  and  because,  with  all  the  painfulness  of  a  final 
separation  from  the  pastor  to  both  parties,  and  the  embar- 
rassments to  the  people  attending  the  effort  for  a  new  settle- 
ment, they  would  regard  such  a  course  far  more  conducive 
to  their  true  interests  than  a  period  of  uncertain  waiting, 
with  little  prospect  of  being  at  the  end  in  any  other  or  better 
state  than  at  present.  ' 

This  vote  of  the  church  was  communicated  to  the 
society,  which  took  no  action  at  the  time,  further 


432       LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

than  to  meet  October  lo,  and  hear  the  letter  and  the 
votes  of  the  church.  These  votes  were  also  for- 
warded to  Dr.  Field,  who  seems  never  to  have  re- 
ceived them.  But  learning  that  a  letter  had  been 
sent,  to  which  an  answer  was  awaited,  he  wrote 
again  as  follows : 

Oakland,  Cal.,  Oct.  26,  1876. 
My  Dear  Friend: 

My  friends  in  their  letters  from  the  East  often  refer  to 
some  communication  made  to  me  from  the  church  in  New  Lon- 
don, which  they  suppose  I  have  received.  I  learn  also  inci- 
dentally that  a  meeting  of  the  society  was  adjourned  to  await 
my  answer  to  the  church.  I  infer  that  the  letter  addressed 
to  me  must  have  miscarried.  Of  course  I  know  nothing  what- 
ever of  the  communication  made  to  me,  but  whatever  it  may 
be  I  would  thank  you  to  say  to  the  people  that  my  purpose  to 
resign  is  irrevocable,  and  I  hope  there  will  be  no  unnecessary 
delay  in  calling  a  council  for  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral 
relation. 

I  hope  the   people  will   soon  find  a  pastor  whose   ministry 
will  promote  their  highest  spiritual  good. 

Yours  with  much  respect  and  esteem 

THOMAS   P.   FIELD. 
Mr.  L.  C.  Learned,  Chairman  Society  Committee  First  Eccl. 
Soc  New  London. 

After  this  no  course  was  left  open  to  the  people 
but  to  accept  the  resignation,  which  was  done  by 
action  of  both  the  church,  and  society.  The  action 
of  the  church  is  recorded  in  the  votes  which  follow, 
and  which  were  passed  at  a  meeting  held  November 
8,  1876,  with  William  C.  Crump  in  the  chair. 

Whereas  our  Pastor,  the  Rev.  Thomas  P.  Field   D.  D.,  has 
sent  a  second  communication  to  this  church  and  society  stat- 


field's  ministry.  433 

ing  that  his  resignation  of  his  pastoral  oflSce,  as  rendered  in 
his  first  letter  is  irrevocable, 

Voted:   that  this   church  accepts  said  resignation. 

Voted:  that  a  mutual  council  be  called  in  concurrence  with 
the  pastor  and  society  to  consider  and  act  upon  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  said  pastoral  relation. 

Voted:  that,  as  we  understand,  our  Pastor  leaves  it  to  the 
church  and  society  to  name  the  churches  whose  pastors  and 
delegates  shall  constitute  the  council,  and  authorizes  us  to 
name  the  time  and  place  in  the  expectation  that  it  will  be 
held  in  his  absence,  this  church  in  concurrence  with  the  so- 
ciety, and  the  two  acting  for  the  Pastor,  name  the  28th  day 
of  November  1876,  at  11  o'clock  forenoon  as  the  time  and  the 
Conference  room  of  this  church  as  the  place  for  holding  such 
council  and  that  the  following  churches  be  invited  to  com- 
pose such  council  by  pastor  and  delegate,  viz: 

The  Second  Congregational  Church  in  New  London. 

The  Second  Congregational  Church  in  Norwich. 

The  Congregational  Church  in  Groton. 

The  Second  Congregational  Church  in  Stonington. 

The  Congregational  Church,   Mystic  Bridge.  ' 

The  deacons  were  charged  with  the  duty  of  rep- 
resenting the  church  before  the  council.  It  was 
also  voted  to  instruct  the  clerk  in  concurrence  with 
a  committee  of  the  society  to  issue  the  call  to  these 
churches,  and  to  communicate  these  votes  to  the 
society.  This  was  done  at  a  meeting  of  the  society, 
held  the  day  following  that  of  the  church.  At  this 
meeting  the  society  took  the  following  action : 

Whereas  the  Rev,  Thomas  P.  Field  D.  D.,  has  communi- 
cated to  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  London  and  to 
this  society  his  resignation  of  his  pastorate. 

Now  therefore  voted  that  this  society  accepts  said  resigna- 
tion, and  concurs  with  said  church  and  the  pastor  in  the  call 


434      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

of  a  mutual  council  to  consider  and  act  upon  the  dissolution 
of  the  pastoral  relation;  that  the  society  also  concurs  with 
the  church  in  its  action  in  the  premises  taken  at  its  meeting 
November  8,  1876,  and  communicated  to  the  society,  and  will 
do  on  its  part  in  accordance  with  such  action,  and  hereby 
appoints  its  clerk  Walter  Learned,  to  act  for  it  in  the  matter 
before  said  council. 

Voted  that  the  clerk  is  charged  with  the  communication  jf 
the  above  action  of  the  society  to  the  pastor  and  also  to  the 
church,  and  to  express  to  the  pastor  its  affectionate  sympathy, 
and  desire  for  his  restoration  to  full  health. 

In  compliance  with  tlie  foregoing  votes  a  letter 
was  sent  to  Dr.  Field,  expressing  the  sincere  re- 
gret of  the  people  at  the  step  which  he  had  felt  con- 
strained to  take,  to  which  he  made  the  following 
reply : 

Oakland,  Cal. 

Nov.  14,  1876. 
To  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  London. 

My  dear  Friends: 

I  have  received  your  communication,  and  thank  you  for 
your  expression  of  regrets  on  account  of  my  resignation  of  my 
pastoral  charge. 

It  is  of  course  by  no  means  agreeable  to  me  to  break  up  my 
home,  and  part  from  those  among  whom  I  have  labored  so 
long  and  so  pleasantly.  And  I  certainly  should  not  do  this, 
were  I  not  impelled  to  it  by  considerations  which  seem  to 
make  it  best  both  for  you  and  for  me. 

My  resignation  was  not  the  result  of  any  sudden  or  hasty 
impulse.  It  had  been  the  subject  of  much  thought,  and  of 
many  conversations  with  some  of  my  friends  for  more  than 
a  year. 

When  I  reached  the  twentieth  anniversary,  last  June,  of  my 
settlement,  I  should  have  made  some  allusion  to  the  event, 
had  I  not  thought  that  I  might  say  a  final  farewell  in  a  few 
weeks,   and  I  would  reserve  any  particular  reference  to   the 


field's  ministry.  435 

past  till  then.     Though  I  did  not  dream  at  that  time  of  send- 
ing my  farewell  from  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 

After  a  twenty  years  ministry  to  the  same  people,  one's 
voice,  and  manner,  and  favorite  lines  of  thought,  and  modes 
of  presenting  truth,  become  quite  familiar,  and  it  grows  in- 
creasingly difficult  to  interest  all  minds.  And  in  these  days 
of  love  of  change  many  would  prefer  something  new,  and 
perhaps  be  benefited  by  it.     I  trust  it  will  be  so  in  this  case. 

I  shall  ever  look  back  with  deep  interest  to  our  many  hours 
of  christian  and  social  intercourse,  and  trust  that  the  seed 
that  has  been  sown  will  mingle  with  that  which  shall  be 
sown,  and  be  quickened  by  the  Divine  spirit,  and  bring  forth 
fruit  more  abundantly  in  the  future  than  in  the  past. 

And  that  the  richest  of  God's  blessings  may  rest  upon  you 
all  is  the  farewell  wish,  and  will  ever  be  the  prayer  of  yours 

In  Christian  love, 

THOS.  P.  FIELD. 

The  absence  of  resolutions  passed  by  the  church 
and  by  the  society  recognizing  Dr.  Field's  long  and 
conspicuously  able  pastoral  service  here,  and  voic- 
ing the  esteem  in  which  he  was  universally  held, 
and  the  regret  of  the  people  which  they  sincerely 
felt  at  losing  their  pastor,  must  be  charged  partly 
to  the  letter  sent  him  in  which  those  sentiments  were 
expressed,  and  to  the  inexperience  of  the  people  in 
dealing  with  the  questions  arising  upon  the  dis- 
missal of  a  pastor.  Seventy  years  had  passed  since 
the  church  had  been  called  to  dismiss  its  pastor,  and 
none  were  living  who  had  had  to  do  with  such  mat- 
ters before. 

In  accordance  with  the  votes  of  the  church  and 
society,  the  clerks  of  the  two  bodies  issued  the  usual 
letters  missive  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy : 


436       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

To  the  Second  Congregational  Church  in  New  London; 
Dear  Brethren: 

The  Rev.  Thos.  P.  Field  D.  D.  having  resigned  the  pastoral 
oflace  over  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  London  and 
the  Society  connected  therewith,  called  the  First  Ecclesias- 
tical Society  in  New  London,  and  said  church  society,  and 
Pastor  having  united  in  calling  a  mutual  council  to  be  held  at 
the  Conference  House  of  said  church  and  society  in  New 
London  on  the  28th  day  of  November  A.  D.  1876  at  11  o'clock 
A.  M.  to  consider  and  act  upon  the  proposition  to  dissolve 
said  pastoral  relation,  you  are  hereby  invited  to  attend  and 
take  part  in  said  council,  acting  therein  by  your  pastor  and 
delegate. 

The  churches  invited  follow,  and  the  letter  was 
signed  by  William  Belcher  for  the  church,  by  Wal- 
ter Learned  for  the  society,  and  by  the  pastor  who 
authorized  Mr.  Belcher  to  affix  his  name  to  the 
document. 

The  council  was  duly  held,  November  28,  1876. 
It  was  composed  as  follows : 

*'From.  the  Second  Congregational  Church,  New 
London — Rev.  O.  E.  Daggett,  D.  D.,  pastor;  Bro. 
J.  G.  Porter,  M.  D.,  delegate. 

From  the  Second  Church  in  Norwich — Rev.  W. 
S.  Palmer,  pastor;  Bro.  Everett  Spencer,  delegate. 

From  the  Second  Church  in  Stonington — Rev. 
H.  P.  Elliott,  pastor;  Bro.  G.  S.  Crandall,  delegate. 

From  the  church  in  Groton — Rev.  J.  A.  Wood- 
hull,  pastor;  Bro.  Erastus  Gallup,  delegate. 

From  the  church  at  Mystic  Bridge — Rev.  Wil- 
liam Clift,  pastor." 

Rev. O.E.Daggett,  D.  D.,  was  chosen  moderator, 
and  Rev.  J.  A.  Woodhull  was  chosen  scribe.     The 


field's  ministry.  437 

deliberations  of  the  council  were  in  the  usual  form, 
and  the  result  reached  was  embodied  in  the  follow- 
ing resolutions  which  were  unanimously  adopted : 

Resolved  that,  in  view  of  the  reason  assigned  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Field  for  the  proposed  separation  in  his  impaired  health  and 
need  of  rest  for  a  season  from  pastoral  responsibilities,  the 
Council  deem  it  expedient  that  the  relation  so  long  and  so 
happily  subsisting  between  him  and  them  [the  First  Church 
and  Society]   be  and  the  same  is,  hereby  dissolved. 

Resolved  that  we  take  pleasure  in  recognizing  the  fraternal 
and  cordial  relations  subsisting  between  Dr.  Field  and  the 
people  of  his  pastoral  charge,  the  past  twenty  years,  and  the 
genuine  sorrow  with  which  both  pastor  and  people  consent 
to  that  separation  which  seems  imperatively  demanded. 

Resolved  that  we  bear  our  cordial  testimony  to  the  value  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Field's  long  and  successful  pastorate  in  this  church, 
his  high  standing  among  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  his 
scholarly  culture,  his  soundness  in  Christian  doctrine,  his 
marked  ability  and  fidelity  as  a  preacher,  his  exemplary  char- 
acter in  all  his  relations  to  the  community;  and  we  cordially 
commend  him  to  all  Christian  churches  as  an  able  and  faithful 
minister  of  Christ. 

Resolved  that  we  hereby  express  our  hearty  sympathy  with 
this  church  and  society  in  their  loss  of  a  pastor  so  faithful 
and  so  long  endeared  to  them,  and  we  fervently  pray  the 
Great  Head  of  the  church  soon  to  send  them  another  whose 
labors  he  will  bless  to  their  highest  and  eternal  good. 

These  resolutions  contained  no  fulsome  praise. 
Every  word  was  true.  Dr.  Field  left  his  people  in  a 
united  state,  as  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  within  a 
months  his  successor  had  been  called.  The  next 
year,  in  1877,  he  was  invited  to  return  to  Amherst 
College,  from  which  he  had  come  to  assume  the 
pastorate  of  this  church. 


438       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

These  are  the  principal  facts  of  Dr.  Field's  min- 
istry. It  was  marked  by  steady  growth  rather  than 
by  remarkable  developments  of  any  sort.  He  was 
not  a  brilliant  man  but  he  had  a  reserve  of  power 
on  which  he  could  draw  when  occasion  demanded. 
Though  no  great  revival  crowned  his  ministry  like 
those  through  which  the  church,  in  its  history,  had 
passed,  yet  the  church  grew  under  his  hands.  His 
ministry  was  preeminently  wholesome,  and  left  a 
flavor  of  righteousness  behind  it.  The  church  and 
society  were  prospered  in  good  degree  both  mater- 
ially and  spiritually,  and  the  people  were  instructed 
in  sound  doctrine. 

As  a  preacher  he  may  have  lacked,  as  some  have 
expressed  it,  a  certain  degree  of  animation,  in  his 
usual  pulpit  exercises.  But  his  sermons  showed 
fine  culture  and  rare  scholarship.  One  said  of  him 
that  he  was  a  preacher  who  wore  well.  This  is 
proved  by  the  uniformly  large  congregations  which 
waited  upon  his  ministry  for  over  twenty  years. 
On  occasions  he  reached  high  degrees  of  oratorical 
power.  His  address  on  the  assassination  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  is  said  to  have  been  notable.  It  was  de- 
livered from  the  steps  of  the  City  Hall  to  a  vast  con- 
course of  people,  and  his  penetrating  voice  reached 
every  ear. 

Another  memorable  discourse  was  preached  Oc- 
tober 19,  1870,  at  the  so-called  bi-centennial  of  this 
church.  It  was  an  able  production  of  great  histor- 
ical value.  Still  another  notable  sermon,  whose 
theme  was   Puritanism  and  the   Puritans  of  New^ 


FIELDS'S  MINISTRY.  439 

England,  was  preached  on  Fast  day,  April  3d,  1863. 
It  was  an  admirable  vindication  of  the  spirit  and 
character  of  the  founders  of  New  England.  ''My 
friends,"  he  said,  "it  is  too  late  in  the  course  of  time 
to  speak  disparagingly  of  New  England,  or  of  the 
Puritans  who  made  her  history  what  it  is.  Shame 
on  the  son  of  New  England  who  takes  up  the  slan- 
derous words.  *  *  *  New  England  with  her  Pur- 
itan institutions  cannot  be  left  out.  She  is  a  vital 
part  of  the  nation's  life." 

The  testimony  of  those  who  knew  him  to  his  char- 
acter as  a  man  and  a  pastor  is  uniform  and  of  the 
highest  nature.  One  of  his  parishioners  said  of 
him,  ''He  was  a  pure,  guileless  man,  of  whom  our 
Lord's  words  concerning  Nathaniel  might  well  be 
said,  'An  Israelite  indeed  in  whom  is  no  guile.'  " 
Another  of  his  parishioners  said  in  The  Day : 

"Dr.  Field  was  a  man  of  intellect  and  scholarship, 
and  one  who  read  with  discrimination  and  enjoy- 
ment. He  was  a  diligent  student,  noted  for  the  ex- 
tent and  variety  of  his  attainments.  His  memory 
was  wonderfully  retentive  and  his  information  at 
once  exact  and  varied. 

"But  wealth  of  intellectual  equipment  was  no  ad- 
equate measure  of  the  man.  A  strong  religious 
faith  and  feeling,  a  charitable  judgment  and  a 
courteous  and  generous  treatment  of  others  made 
him  an  inspiring  example  of  the  religion  he  pro- 
fessed. The  aroma  of  his  goodness  still  lingers  in 
the  church  once  impressed  with  his  footsteps." 

The  cordial  reception  with  which  he  always  met 


440       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

when  he  appeared  in  the  First  Church,  was  suffi- 
cient evidence  of  the  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by 
his  former  parishioners. 

But  he  was  highly  esteemed  outside  his  par- 
ish. A  man  of  another  church  said,  "1  loved  and 
admired  Dr.  Field ;  and  so  did  all  who  knew  him." 
Another  said,  "I  do  not  believe  that  any  other  man 
ever  went  from  this  town  and  left  so  many  friends 
behind  him." 

The  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  brethren 
in  the  ministry  is  thus  voiced  by  Rev.  John  Avery : 
''Dr.  Field  came  among  us  with  a  character  and  a 
reputation  already  established.  Yet  he  continued 
to  develop  and  mature  even  up  to  the  time  of  his 
leaving.  He  usually  attended  the  ministers'  meet- 
ing and  took  his  turn  in  preaching  and  reading  es- 
says. *  *  *  He  was  greatly  respected  and  highly 
appreciated  by  all  the  ministers  of  the  county  who 
were  contemporary  with  him." 

His  alma  mater  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1861,  when  Mr.  Field  became 
Dr.  Field.  As  has  already  appeared,  she  thrice 
called  him  to  occupy  chairs  of  instruction  among 
her  corps  of  instructors,  as  tutor  from  1837  to  1839, 
as  professor  of  rhetoric  and  English  literature  from 
1853  to  1856,  as  professor  of  bibliography  and  li- 
brarian of  the  college  library  for  two  years  after  the 
close  of  his  pastorate  here,  and  then  as  "Samuel 
Green  professor  of  Biblical  history  and  interpreta- 
tion and  pastor  of  the  college  church,"  till  1886, 
when  he  retired  from  these  duties.     The  instances 


field's  ministry.  441 

are  rare  in  which  a  man  is  thus  honored  by  the  col- 
lege which  graduated  him.  But  the  honors  were 
not  misplaced.  He  was  a  searching  student  of  lit- 
erature, and  frequently  contributed  valuable  articles 
to  the  magazines.  He  was  fully  equipped  to  be  a 
member  of  the  faculty  of  any  college — a  fact  which 
Amherst  was  not  unaware.  His  whole  connection 
with  his  alma  mater  as  tutor  and  professor,  was  in 
all,  fourteen  years.  A  line  from  a  daughter  of  Dr, 
Julius  H.  Seelye,  written  for  her  father,  says  ''that 
since  his  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Field  he  has  cher- 
ished for  him  a  high  respect  and  warm  pergonal 
afifection,  which  constantly  increased  during  his 
more  intimate  association  with  him  as  pastor  of  the 
college  church." 

He  was  married  January  ii,  1844,  to  Maria  Au- 
gusta, daughter  of  Robert  A.  Daniels  of  Peabody. 
She  died  July  2,  1864.  May  8,  1866,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Charlotte,  daughter  of  the  late  Robert  Coit 
of  this  city.  After  her  death,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Ellen  Coit  who  survives  him.  The  three  of 
his  nine  children  who  survive  him  are  Mrs.  F.  O. 
Davenport,  wife  of  Lieut.  Commander  Davenport 
of  the  United  States  navy,  stationed  at  Detroit; 
Robert  D.  Field,  who  is  in  business  in  Detroit;  and 
Harry  P.  Field,  a  well  known  Northampton  lawyer, 
and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hammond  and  Field. 

When  he  had  recovered  from  the  illness  which 
was  almost  fatal  at  the  time  when  he  lost  his  second 
wife,  he  undertook  and  accomplished  a  voyage 
around  the  world,  at  an  age  when  most  men  would 


442       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

beg  to  be  allowed  to  remain  in  the  quiet  of  their 
own  homes. 

Dr.  Field  loved  his  chosen  profession.  It  was 
his  great  ambition  to  be  fruitful  in  his  life.  That 
wish  was  gratified.  In  his  sermon  at  the  funeral 
of  Dr.  McEwen  he  said,  ''the  best  time  to  die  is  in- 
deed  the  time  that  God  appoints,  but  if  He  permits, 
it  is  good  to  be  a  worker  together  with  Him  even  to 
fourscore  years.  *  *  ^  Well  may  we  pray  to  live 
while  we  can  so  work,  and  sleep  at  last  in  peace 
with  the  fathers."  His  wish  was  granted.  He  was 
a  worker  with  God  till  fourscore  years. 

The  story  of  his  death  is  briefly  told.  His  was 
not  a  lingering  illness.  He  was  in  New  London 
on  the  Friday  before  he  died.  An  attack  of  heart 
trouble,  doubtless  a  legacy  of  the  grip,  seized  him, 
after  his  return  to  Amherst,  and  on  Wednesday, 
May  1 6,  1894,  he  had  passed,  at  the  age  of  a  little 
over  eighty  into  that  country,  that  land  of  pure  de- 
light, where 

everlasting  spring  abides, 

And  never  withering  flowers. 

Of  the  fifty-four  years  which  had  elapsed  since 
he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry,  thirty-four 
were  spent  in  the  pulpit  and  twelve  as  a  professor 
at  Amherst.  Of  the  thirty-four  years  in  the  pulpit, 
twenty  were  spent  in  this  pulpit.  It  seemed  there- 
fore fitting  that  the  church  should  notice  the  death 
of  a  man  who  had  served  it  so  long,  so  faithfully, 
and  so  well.  Therefore  two  representatives  of  the 
church  went  to  Amherst  to  attend  his  funeral,  to 


EDWARD  WOOLSEY  BACON. 


field's  ministry.  443 

testify  of  the  afifection  which  the  church  felt  for  him. 
These  men  were  Jesse  H.  Wilcox  and  William  Bel- 
cher, both  deacons  of  the  church. 

This  brings  the  story  of  this  church  down  to  Jan- 
uary 14,  1877,  when  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Edward 
W.  Bacon  began.  It  has  been  a  delightsome  task 
to  write  the  narrative.  It  makes  this  venerable 
church  stand  out  conspicuously  in  the  history  of  the 
past.  It  has  seen  and  been  a  part  of  the  growth 
of  Connecticut,  almost  from  the  beginning.  Some 
of  its  early  men  were  the  founders  of  the  United 
Colony,  and  shaped  its  political  destinies.  It  has 
always  stood  for  the  evangelical  gospel.  Its  pas- 
tors, whose  work  has  been  reviewed,  were  strong 
men. 

The  work  still  before  it  may  be  different,  but  no 
less  important.  Its  efficiency  and  power  will  de- 
pend on  the  spirit  dwelling  in  its  members  now  and 
in  the  years  to  come.  If  a  spirit  of  unselfish  loyalty 
to  Christ  reigns  in  them,  a  great  future  lies  before 
this  body  of  Christ.  For  the  power  of  any  church, 
in  these  days,  depends  on  the  self-denying  devotion 
of  its  members  to  the  Kingdom  of  God,  till  He 
comes.  "And  this  I  pray,  that  your  love  may 
abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge,  and  all 
discernment;  so  that  ye  may  approve  the  things 
that  are  excellent ;  that  ye  may  be  sincere  and  void 
of  offence  unto  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ ;  being  filled 
with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  through 
Jesus  Christ,  unto  the  glory  of  God." 


444       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

NOTE  TO  PAGE  171. 

On  page  171  it  is  suggested  that  Mi*.  Christophers,  in  front 
of  whose  house  Dr.  Hallam  says  the  burning  of  the  books 
etc.  took  place,  must  have  lived  on  the  site  occupied  by  the 
house  built  for  Mrs.  Woodbridge,  by  her  father,  Nathaniel 
Shaw.  The  two  brothers,  Christopher  and  John  Christophers, 
lived  on  the  two  sites  just  south,  now  occupied  by  the  houses 
of  the  late  Mr.  Sidney  Miner,  and  Mr.  Sebastian  D.  Law- 
rence. 


XV. 

BAPTISMS. 

1670-1821. 

All  names  in  capitals  are  of  persons  baptized. 


I.  BY  BRADSTREET,  IN  NEW  LONDON. 

(1.)  The  names  of  such  as  were  called  the  children  of  the 
church,  viz.,  of  such  as  had  been  baptized  before  Oct.  5,  1670, 
their  parents  one  or  both  being  in  full  communion. 

Lieut.  James  Avery  his  children. 

Persons  baptized  from  Feb.  1,  1670: 

Baptized  February  12,  1670.     These  eighteen  persons: 

GOOD  WIFE  BAILEY  and  her  children,  JOHN,  WILLIAM; 
Mr.  Picket's  children,  JOHN,  MARY,  RUTH,  MERCY,  WIL- 
LIAM; Mr.  Hill's  child,  JANE;  JOSHUA  HEMSTEAD,  ELIZ. 
his  wife,  PHEBE  his  child;  Joseph  Morgan's  wife  DOROTHY; 
her  sister,  ALICE  PARKE ;i  James  Avery's  wife  DEBORAH; 
Samuel  Rogers  his  children,  SAMUEL,  MARY;  The  widow 
Bradley's  daughter,   LUCRETIA. 

Baptized  Febr.  19.  Four  children  of  Goodwife  Bayley, 
THOMAS,   MARY,  JAMES,  JOSEPH. 

Baptized  Febr.  26,   1670.     John  Keney's^  child   SUSANNA. 

(2.)    Persons  baptized  since  Octob.  5,  1670: 

JOHN  STEBBINS  junr;  MARY  DUGLASS,  wife  of  Robert 
Duglasse;  Mr.  Parker's  child  named  RALPH;  Robert 
Duglasse  his  children  viz.  3,  WILL,  MARY,  ANNE;  Mr.  Ches- 
ter's children,  JOHN,  SUSANNA,  SAMUEL;  Mr.  ffoster's  chil- 
dren,  SUSANNA,   THOMAS,   JANE;   John  Stebbins  junr    his 

^On  page  157  of  The  Early  History,  etc.,  this  name  is  incorrectly  given 
Alice  Parker. 

2This  name  is  incorrectly  given  Henry  on  page  157  of  The  Early  His- 
tory, etc. 


446      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

children,  DEBORAH,  JOHN,  MERIAM;  DANIEL  STEBBINS; 
HANNAH  HEMPSTEAD  now  Abel  More's  wife;  Will  Doug- 
lasse,  junr.,  his  child  ELIZABETH;  Daniel  Lester's  child; 
Andrew  Lester's  child  (names  not  given);  Goodman  Smith  his 
grandaughter,  MEHITABLE. 

Baptized  March  12,  70-71.  My  own  child  SIMON;  Joseph 
Coytes  child  JOHN;  John  Stephens  his  children,  JOHN, 
MARY;  Hugh  Mould's  children,  HUGH,  SUSANNA,  MARY, 
CHRISTIAN. 

Baptized  March  26,  71.  John  Richards  his  children,  JOHN, 
ISRAEL,  PENELOPE,  MARY,  LYDIA,  ELIZABETH,  HAN- 
NAH; The  widow  Bemas  her  two  daughters,  REBECKA, 
MARY. 

Baptized  April  2,  71.  G.  Dart  his  children,  DANIEL,  DIN- 
AH, RICHARD,  ROGER;  George  Sherwood's  children, 
GEORGE,  WILLIAM;  Goodwife  Crocker,  RACHEL;  Her  two 
children,   THOMAS,  MARY. 

Baptized   April   9,    1671.     G.    Comstock's   children,    DANIEL, 
MARY,  SARAH,  HOPE,  ZIPPORAH,  ELIZABETH,  BETHIAH, 
ANNE;    Will    Duglasse    his    child,    SARAH;    John    Borden's 
children,    JOHN,    SAMUEL,    HANNAH;    James    Morgan    junr, 
his   children,   JAMES,   WILLIAM;   MARY  TONGUE. 
Baptized  April  16,  71.     ADAM  PICKETT. 
Baptized  April   23,    71.     HANNAH    STEDMAN   and   her   two 
children,   JOHN,   ANNA;  JUDITH   PIGEN,   (Pygan),  i  and  her 
two    children,    SARAH,    HANNAH;    ELIZABETH    DIMOND; 
LYDIA   LATHAM;   REBECKA  WALLER;   SARAH   WALLER. 
Baptized  April  30,  71.     Clement  Minor  his  children,  JOSEPH, 
CLEMENT,  WILLIAM,   MARY;  John  Willie's   (Willis's)   child 
ISAAC. 

Baptized  May  7,  71.  G.  Tyrrell's  children,  WILLIAM,  MARY; 
G.  Blackford's  child,  SARAH;  Two  servants  of  Mr.  Duglas 
his,  for  whom  he  engaged,  ye  one  being  an  Indian  bought  when 
a  child,  and  at  his  Disposal;  I  baptized  her  according  to  God's 
command.  Gen.   17;  12,  13,  MARY,  ELTZBTH  the  Indian. 


iWife  of  Alexander  Pj'gan;  Miss  Caulkins  gives  the  names  of  her  two 
children  aB  Sarah  and  Jane. 


BAPTISMS.  447 

Baptized  May  14,  71.  MATTHEW  BECKET;  ELIZ.  JAR- 
RETT,  and  her  child  ELIZ;  SARAH  BECKET;  Sam  Tubbs  his 
children,  MARY,  BETHIAH. 

Baptized  May  21,  1671,  Goodman  Harris  his  children,  THOM- 
AS,  PETER,   JOHN,   SAMUEL,   ELIZABETH,   MARY. 

Baptized  June  11,  1671.  Mr.  Wetherell's  children,  DANIEL, 
MARY;  Mr.  Shaw's  children  SAMUEL,  THOMAS. 

Baptized  June  18,  1671.  J.IARY  DANIEL  ye  wife  of  John 
Daniel,  and  her  children  JOHN,  MARY,  THOMAS. 

Baptized  July  23,  71.     Robt.  Douglasse  his  child  JOHN. 

Baptized  August  6,  71.     Mr.  Starres  child  COMFORT. 

Baptized  Sept.  3,  71.     G.  Harris  his  child  JAMES. 

Baptized  Sept.  10,  71.  Mrs.  Mannering  her  children,  HAN- 
NAH, ELIZABETH,  PRUDENCE,  LOVE;  the  same  day  Mat- 
thew Becket's  wife  was  baptized  ELIZABETH;  Mat.  Becket 
junr,  his  children,  MATTHEW,  JOHN,  JAMES. 

Baptized  Sept.  17,  1671.    John  Stevens  his  child  JAMES 

Baptized  Nov.  5.  Mr.  Hill's  child  CHARLES;  G.  Rett's 
child,  JONATHAN;  Mr.  Blackford's  children,  PETER,  HAN- 
NAH, JOANNA. 

Nov.  26,   71.     G.   Comstock's   child,   PATIENCE. 

Baptized  Febru.  25,  71.    John  Stebbins  his  child  MARY. 

Baptized  March  10,  1871-72.  George  Sherwood's  child,  MARY; 
Manasseh  Minor's  child  ELNATHAN;  Abel  More's  child, 
MILES. 

March  24,  71-72.    Joseph  Morgan's  child,  JOSEPH. 

March  31,  1672.     Baptized  John  Daniel's  child  CHRISTIAN. 

April  21,  1672.     G.  Crocker's  child  baptized  JOHN. 

May  29.    James  Morgan  his  child  baptized,  MARY. 

June  16.  Baptized  Ephraim  Minor's  children  EPHRAIM,. 
THOMAS,   HANNAH. 

July  7,  72.  Baptized  G.  Prentice  his  child  HANNAH;  bap- 
tized Bathsheba  Smith  her  children,  ANNE,  ELIZABETH. 

July  1672.     Sam  Tubbs  his  child  SAMUEL. 

August  28,  72.     Baptized  Mr.  Dimond  his  child  ELIZABETH. 

Sept.  1,  1672.     Baptized  G.  Billings  his  children,  WILLIAM, 


448        LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

JOSEPH,  MARY,  LYDIA;  Daniel  Lester's  child,  HANNAH; 
Laurc  Codner  his  child,  SARAH. 

Baptized  Novr  24,  72.     John  Willee  his  child  ISBEL. 

Baptized  Decern.  22,  72.  Mr.  Benj.  Shapley's  child  RUTH; 
Clmt  Minor's  child  ANNE. 

Baptized  Decern.  29,  72.  Joshua  Hempstead's  child  ELIZA- 
BETH. 

Baptized  January   5,   72-73.     My   own   child,   ANNE, 

Baptized  ffebr  16,  72-73.  Richard  Dart  his  child  EBEN-EZ- 
ER. 

Baptized  ffebruary  23,  1672-73.  Will  Douglas  his  child  WIL- 
LIAM; Tobias  Menter  his  child  TOBIAS. 

Baptized  March  26,  72-3.  THOMAS  PARKES  and  his  child 
called  SAMUEL. 

Baptized  March  23,  1672-3.  Mr.  Condy  his  children  RICH- 
ARD, WILLIAM,  EBEN-EZER,  RALPH;  Good:  Harris  his 
child,  JOSEPH. 

Baptized  April  6,  1673.     Joseph  Coit  his  child  JOSEPH. 

Baptized  May  28,  (73).     Robert  Douglas  his  child  HANNAH. 

Baptized  May  25,  73.     Daniel  Leister  his  child  ELIZABETH. 

Baptized  June  1,  73.  Mr.  S.  Chester's  child  MERCY;  James 
Avery  his  child  JAMES. 

Baptized  June  29.     Samuel  Rogers  his  child  ANNA. 

Baptized  July  13.    Mr.  Mannering's  child  RICHARD. 

Baptized  July  27,  73.  John  Richard's  child  DAVID;  The. 
Bolls  child  MARY. 

Baptized  Aug.  2,  73.     Tho.  Baylies  child,  LYDIA. 

Baptized  Sept.  7.    Mr.  Tho.   fforster's  child,   JONATHAN. 

Baptized  Sept.  21,  73.  Lydia  Smith,  Nehemiah  Smith  his 
wife,  LYDIA. 

Baptized  Octob.  19.    Mr.  Hill's  child  RUTH. 

Bapt.  Novr  2,  73.    Daniel  Comstock  his  child  KENSLEY. 

Baptized  Jan.  25,  73,  [1674,  N.  S,]  Laurc  Codner  his  child, 
MARTIN. 

Baptized  Feb.  8,  73.  [1674  N.  S.].  Matthew  Becket  his  child 
JONAH;  Mr.  Abrah  Dane's  children  JOHN,  JOANNA. 

Baptized    March    1,    73-74.    Joseph    Latham    his    children, 


BAPTISMS.  449 

CAREY,    WILLIAM,    ELIZAB;    George    Sherwood    his    child, 
KATHERINE;  Hugh  Hubbert  his  child,  MARY. 

Baptized  March  22,  73-74.    Mr.  Starre  his  child  JONATHAN. 

Baptized  April  12,  1674.  Eleazer  Issbell's  child  HANNAH; 
Richard  Smith's  child,  JAMES. 

Baptized  April  19,  1674.  JOHN  BALDWIN,  SARAH  STAL- 
LION alias  ETCHCOMB,  HANNAH  BRADLEY. 

Baptized  May  3,  74.     Samuel  Tubbs  his  child  WILLIAM. 

Baptized  May  17,  74.  Joseph  Stanton  his  child  by  his  wife 
Hannah  Meades,  HANNAH. 

July  26.    Clement  Minor  his  child,  PHEBE. 

August  9.     Abel  More  his  child,  ABEL. 

August  23,  1674.  Baptized  Andrew  Leister's  child,  AN- 
DREW; G.  Chappell's  child  SARAH;  John  Daniel's  child  HAN- 
NAH. 

Baptized  Sept.  20,  1674.  John  Stevens  child  SAMUEL;  John 
Borden  his  children  WILLIAM,  SARAH,  twins. 

Baptized  Octob.  11,  1674.  James  Morgan  his  child  HAN- 
NAH. 

Baptized  Novr.  8,  74.     John  Etchcomb  his  child  MARGARET. 

Baptized  Novr.  15,  74.     Manasseh  Minor  his  child  SAMUEL. 

Baptized  Novr.  26.     Mr.  Hill's  child  JONATHAN. 

Baptized  Deer.  6,  74.  Tho.  Robinson's  child  WILLIAM;  Tho. 
Latham's  child,  SARAH. 

Baptized  January  31,  1674.  Robert  Douglas  his  child  SAR- 
AH; Hugh  Mould  his  child  MARTHA. 

Baptized  March  14,  1674-5.  Will  Billings  his  child,  MERCY; 
Mr.  Shapley  his  child  BENJAMIN. 

Baptized  March  21,  1674-5.  Richard  Dart  his  child,  ANNE;. 
John  Stebbins  his  child  MARGARET;  John  Willee  his  child 
JOHN. 

Baptized  March  28,  1675.  James  Avery  his  child  MARGAR- 
ET; Joshua  Hempstead  his  child  MARY;  John  Dymond  his 
child  JOHN. 

Baptized  April  25,  1675.     Thomas  Bolles  his  child,  JOSEPH. 

Baptized  June  20,  75.    John  Chappell's  child  EXPERIENCE. 

Baptized  July  25,  75.     Tho.  fforster's  child  MARY. 


450      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

Baptized  August  1,  75.     Peter  Strickland's,  ELIZABETH. 

August  8,  75.     Thomas  Raymond's  child,  THOMAS. 

Octob.  (29,  75).     Thomas  Parkes  his  child  THOMAS. 

Novem.  14,  75.  Goodman  Prentis  his  children  who  were 
twins  THOMAS,  ELIZABETH. 

Novr.  21.     G.i  Spencer's  child,  GRACE. 

Baptized  Decem.  5,  1675.  Mr.  Johna  Raymond,  his  children, 
JOSHUA,  ELIZABETH,  ANNA,  HANNAH,  MARY,  MARTHA, 
EXPERIENCE. 

Baptized  Deer  26.  Mr.  J.  Raymond's  young  child,  MEHIT- 
ABEL. 

Baptized  January  30,  1675  [1676  N.  S.]  John  Edgcomb  his 
child,  JOHN. 

Baptized  March  12,  75-76.     Hugh  Hubbert  his  child  LYDIA. 

Baptized  March  29,  1675-6.  Joseph  Coytes  child  WILLIAM; 
Philip  Bill  his  child  JOSHUA. 

Baptized  April  2,  1676.     Mr.  Mannering  his  child,  JUDITH. 

Baptized  June  25.  Mr.  Richard  Haughton  his  children, 
JAMES,  KATHERINE,  MERCY. 

Baptized  July  2,  1676.  Nehemiah  Smith  his  child,  SAMUEL; 
at  ye  same  time  baptized  James  Avery  his  child,  EDWARD. 

Baptized  July  16,  76.  GRACE  ROGERS;  Joshua  Hempstead 
his  child,  PHEBE. 

Baptized  August  27,  1676.  Matthew  Becket  his  child,  PRU- 
DENCE; Daniel  Stebbin  his  child,  BETHIAH. 

Baptized  Septr.  10th,  1676.  Tho:  Crocker's  child,  SAMUEL; 
Tho:  Robinson's  child  THOMAS. 

Baptized  Septr.  17,  76.  Lawrence  Codner  his  child,  THOM- 
AS. 

Baptized  Novr.  5,  1676.     My  owne  child  JOHN. 

Baptized  Novem.  12,  1676.  Daniel  Raymond  his  child,  ELIZ- 
ABETH. 

Baptized  January  21,  1676,  [1677  N.  S.]  John  Dymon  his 
child,  SARAH. 

Baptized  Febr.  4.  John  Prentice  Junr  his  child,  JOSEPH; 
David  Calkins  his  child,  ANNE. 

iG.,  i  e  Goodman. 


BAPTISMS.  451 

Baptized  March  4,  1676-77.  Hugh  Mould  his  child,  JANE; 
Thomas  Latham  his  child,  SAMUEL;  Manasseh  Minor  his 
child,  HANNAH. 

John  Avery  his  child  baptized  May  13,  77,  ABIGAIL. 

Baptized  May  20,  77.     Mr.  Tho.  Dymon  his  child,  MOSES. 

Baptized  June  3,  1677.  William  Thorn  his  child,  ALEXAN- 
DER; Daniel  Leister  his  child  DANIEL;  Samuel  Fox  his  child, 
ELIZABETH;  Mr.  Plumb  his  child,  MERCY;  John  Daniel  his 
child,  RACHEL. 

Baptized  June  17,  1677.  Edward  Smith  his  child,  OBADIAH; 
Joseph  Latham  his  child,  JOHN;  Robert  Douglasse  his  child, 
ELIZABETH. 

Baptized  July  8,  1677.    Abrah  Dane's  child,  THOMAS. 

Baptized  July  15,  1677.  Daniel  Comstock  his  child,  SAM- 
UEL; David  Carpenter  his  child,  MARY. 

Baptized  August  5,  1677.  Richard  Dart  his  child  BETHIAH; 
John  Borden  his  child,  JOANNA. 

Baptized  Sept.  2,  1677.    Mr.  ffoster  his  child  EDWARD. 

Baptized  Sept.  16,  1677.  George  Geeresi  his  children,  JON- 
ATHAN, JOSEPH,  DANIEL,  ROBERT,  HANNAH,  MARGAR- 
ET, MARY. 

Baptized  Novr.  11,  77.  John  Stebbins  his  child,  CHRISTO- 
PHER. 

Novr.  18,  77.    Baptized  Jonathan  Hall  his  child,  JONATHAN. 

Baptized  Decern,  23.  Will  Pendall  his  child,  who  marryed 
Mehit  Parker,   JONATHAN. 

Baptized  January  27,  77,  [1678  N.  S.]  Joseph  Coit  his  child, 
DANIEL. 

March  3,  [1678].  Baptized  Thomas  Bolles  child,  JOHN;  Dan- 
iel Stebbins  his  child  PALTIEL. 

April  21,  78.     Baptized  Mr.  Benj.  Shaply  his  child,  MARY. 

Baptized  June  9,  1678.    John  Willy  his  child,  MIRIAM. 

Baptized  June  16,  78.  James  Avery  junr  his  child,  EBBN- 
EZER. 

Baptized  July  14,  78.    Will  Douglasse  his  child,  REBECKAH. 

lAlso  spelled  Geares. 


452      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Baptized  July  28,  78.    Abel  More  his  child,  MARY. 

Baptized  August  4th,  78.     Mr.  Edgcomb  his  child,  SARAH. 

Baptized  Augst  11,  78.     Peter  Strickland's  child,   PETEH. 

Baptized  Sept.  29.    John  Mahoe  his  child,  JOHN. 

Baptized  Octob  20th  78.     Mr.  floster  his  child,  SAMUEL. 

Baptized  Novr  17,  1678.  Major  Palmes  his  child  by  his  sec- 
ond wife  who  was  Capt.  Davis  his  Relict,  GUY. 

Decern.  1,  1678.  Baptized  George  Darrow  his  child,  CHRIS- 
TOPHER; Sam  ffox  his  child,  HANNAH;  Hugh  Hubbert's 
child,  JOSEPH. 

Jan.  19,  78,  [1679  N.  S.]  Andrew  Leister  his  child,  JONA- 
THAN; Mr.  John  Prentis  his  child,  ANNE. 

Baptized  ffeb.  2,  1678,  [1679  N.  S.]  Neh.  Smith  his  child, 
MARTHA;  Oliver  Mannering  his  child,  OLIVER. 

Baptized  March  30th,  1679.  John  Avery's  child,  ABIGAIL; 
and  David  Calkin  his  child  JONATHAN. 

Baptized  April  13,  79.  Edward  Smith  his  child,  HANNAH; 
John  Dymond  his  child,  JONATHAN. 

Baptized  May  4,  79.  John  Bates  his  child,  JOHN;  G.  Geares 
his  child  ANNE. 

Baptized  May  18,  79.     Matthew  Becket's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Baptized  May  25,  79.     James  Morgan  his  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Baptized  June  22,  1679.     Robert  Douglas  his  child,  THOMAS. 

Baptized  June  29,  1679.  Thomas  Avery's  child,  THOMAS; 
Will  Potts  his  child,  JOANNA;  Mr.  Plumb  his  child,  GEORGE; 
Daniel  Raymond  his  child,  SARAH;  Mr.  Robinson  his  child 
ELIZABETH. 

Baptized  July  13,  79.  John  Packer  Senr  his  child,  REBECK- 
AH. 

Baptized  Augt  17th.     Manasseh  Minor  his  child,  LYDIA. 

Baptized  Octob.  19.    Mr.  Wetherell  his  child,  SAMUEL. 

Baptized  Novr.  2,  79.  Will  Thorn  his  child  JUDITH;  David 
Carpenter  his  child,  SARAH. 

Willm  Pendall  his  child,  baptized  Novem.  [date  illegible]  79, 
JOHN. 

Baptized  Decern.  21,  79.  Joseph  Coit  his  child,  SOLOMON; 
Richard  Dart  his  child  ELIZABETH. 


BAPTISMS.  453 

Baptized  February  8th  79,  [1680  N.  S.]  Daniel  Leister  his 
child,  JOHN. 

Baptized  Febr.  25,  79,  [1680  N.  S.]  Joseph  Latham  his  child, 
MARY. 

Baptized  April  28,  1680.  James  Avery  his  child,  CHRISTO- 
PHER; John  Edgecombe  his  child,  JOANNA. 

Baptized  May  9,  1680.  Mr.  Mannering  his  child,  BATH- 
SHEBA;  John  Daniel  his  child,  SARAH;  Thomas  Crocker  his 
child,  WILLIAM. 

Baptized  May  30,  80.  Mr,  Peter  Bradley  and  his  child,  PE- 
TER; CHRISTOPHER. 

Baptized  June  27,  80.    William  Douglas  his  child,  ANNE. 

Baptized  August  1,  80.     John  Bates  his  child,  SOLOMON. 

Baptized  Octob.  17,  1680.  George  Darrow's  child,  GEORGE; 
Jonathan  Hall's  child,  PETER. 

Baptized  Octob.  24,  80.  Mr.  Tho.  Dymon  his  child,  RUTH; 
my  own  child  LUCY. 

Novem.  7,  80.     Baptized  John  Stebbins  his  child,  JANE. 

Novr.  14,  80.  Baptized  John  Willee  his  child,  ALLEN;  John 
Avery  his  child,  MARY. 

Baptized  Decern.  12,  1680.  John  Mayhew  his  child,  WAYT; 
Dll  Stebbin  his  child,  MARGARET. 

Baptized  Jan.  2,  80,  [1681  N.  S.]  Thomas  Avery  his  child, 
SAMUEL. 

Baptized  Jan.  30,  80,  [1681  N.  S.]  Josh.  Hempstead's  child, 
HANNAH. 

Baptized  March  13,  80-81.  JOHN  PACKER  and  his  child, 
ELIZABETH;  Mr.  Leades  his  child,  JOHN, 

Baptized  March  20,  80-81.  SARAH  LARABY  (alias  Fox); 
John  ffox  his  child,  JOHN;  Nehemiah  Smith  his  child,  DAN- 
IEL; John  Prentice,   his  child,   PATIENCE. 

Baptizd  April  17,  81.     William  Potts  his  child,  WILLIAM. 

Baptized  May  8,  81.  Mr.  Samuel  Green  his  child,  ELIZA- 
BETH. 

Baptized  June  26,  81.  Andrew  Leister's  child,  SAMUEL; 
Richard  Dart's  child,  SARAH;  Mr.  ffoster's  child,  REBECKA; 
Hugh  Hubbert's  child,   MARGARET. 


454       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Baptized  August  7,  81.  Daniel  Raymond  his  child,  RICH- 
ARD; Robert  Douglas  his  child,  PHEBE;  Abel  More  his  child, 
JOHN. 

Baptized  August  14,  81.  George  Gears  his  child,  ISAAC; 
NATHANIEL  PARK  and  his  wife,  SARAH;  baptized  their 
children,   DANIEL,   NATHANIEL. 

Baptized  August  28,  81.     Mr.  Shapley's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Baptized  Sept.  11,  1681.  John  Packer  Senr  his  child,  JAMES; 
Mr.  Adam  Pickett's  child,  ADAM;  Hugh  Mould's  child,  ES- 
THER. 

Baptized  Octob.  16,  1681.  John  Baldin's  child,  JANE;  Mr. 
Leeds  his  child  ELIZABETH. 

Baptized  Novr.  20,  81.     Daniel  Leister's  child,  DAVID. 

Baptized  Decem.  28,  81.  John  Morgan  his  children,  JOHN, 
SAMUEL,  JAMES;  David  Calkin  his  child,  PETER. 

Febr.  26,  81.  [1682  N.  S.]  Mr.  John  Edgcomb's  child  bap- 
tized, NICHOLAS. 

March  5,  81-82.  Baptized  Peter  Strickland's  child,  PRIS- 
CILLA. 

March  29,  81-82.     Baptized  James  Avery's  child,  JONATHAN. 

April  2,  1682.     Baptized  Mr.  Plumb's  child  SARAH. 

April  9,  82.  Baptized  Saml  feox  his  child,  SAMUL;  John 
Packer  junr  his  child,  LYDIA;  John  ffox  his  child,  THOMAS. 

May  14,  82.  Baptized  Matthew  Beckett's  child,  RUTH;  Wm. 
Thorn  his  child,  WILLIAM. 

June  28.     Baptized  Mr.  Mannering's  child,  ANNE. 

July  9,  82.     Baptized  Joseph  Becket  his  wife,  SUSANNA. 

August  27,  1682.  Baptized  Wm  Douglas  his  child,  RICH- 
ARD; John  Bates  his  child,  SARAH. 

Octob.  1,  82.     Baptized  Major  Palmes  his  child,  ANDREW. 

Novem.  12,  82.  Baptized  George  Dennis  his  child,  EBEN- 
EZER;  Joseph  Latham's  child,  JESPER;  David  Carpenter's 
child,  DAVID. 

Baptized  Deer.  3,  82.     Ezekiel  Turner's  child,  SARAH. 

Decem.  17,  82.    John  Daniel  his  child,  JONATHAN. 

Baptized  Feb.  11,  82.  John  Mahue  (Mayhew)  his  child, 
ELIZABETH. 


BAPTISMS.  455 

Baptized  April  1,  1683.  John  Avery  his  child,  JOHN;  Tho. 
Crocker's  child,  ANDREW. 

Baptized  April  29,  83.  Mr.  ffoster  his  child  EBEN-EZER; 
Wm  Pendall's  child,  RICHARD;  John  Willee  his  child,  ABEL. 

Baptized  May  20,  1683,  Nehemiah  Smith  his  child,  MARGAR- 
ET; John  Leeds  his  child  WILLIAM;  George  Darrow  his  child, 
NICHOLAS;  Nathaniel  Parkes  his  child  EZEKIEL. 

Baptized  June  3,  83.     Thomas  Bradford  his  child,  JOSHUA. 

Baptized  June  17,  83.    Jonathan  Hall  his  child,  HANNAH. 

Baptized  June  24,  83.     Hugh  Hubbert  his  child,  JANE. 

Baptized  July  15,  83.  Adam  Gallop  his  child,  HANNAH; 
Joseph  Becket  his  two  children,  JOSEPH,  SARAH. 

Baptized  August  12,  83.     Wm  Potts  his  child,  PATIENCE. 

Mr.  Bradstreet  died  soon  after,  and  this  seems  to  have  been 
his  last  recorded  public  act  as  pastor  of  the  church. 

II.     BY    GURDON    SALTONSTALL. 
1691. 

Decem.  6.     Daniell  Leister's  child,  THOMAS. 

Decem.  20.  Mr.  Richard  Christophers  had  his  children  bap- 
tized, CHRISTOPHER,   RICHARD,   PETER,  JOHN. 

27,    Philip   Bill's   wife   was   baptized,    ELIZABETH;   his 

children,  ELIZABETH,  HANNAH. 

1691-2. 

Jan  10.  Jeremiah  Chapman  and  Elizabeth  Smith  were  bap- 
tized,  JEREMIAH,   ELIZABETH. 

John  Plumb  Junr  and  his  wife,  had  yr  daughter  bap.  ELIZ- 
ABETH. 

Jan.  17.  Mr.  Samll  Fosdick  had  4  children  baptized  SAM- 
UEL, MERCY,  RUTH,  ANNA;  Mr.  John  Prentice's  2  children 
baptized,  SARAH,  ELIZABETH. 

Jan.  24.  Mrs.  Piggan's  child,  LYDIA;  1  Mr.  Edgcombs  child, 
SAMUEL;  Stephen  Prentice's  wife  was  baptized  ELIZABETH; 
Cary  Latham's  child,  baptized,  GARY;  Wm  Walworth's  child, 
baptized,  MARTHA. 


iShe  became  the  wife  of  Eliphalet  Adams. 


456      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Feb.  7.  David  Carpenter's  children,  ELIZABETH,  HAN- 
NAH. 

Feb.  21.  My  own  daughter,  MARY;  Capt.  James  Morgan's 
daughter  JERUSHA;  widow  Mary  Harris's  daughter,  MARY. 

March  6.  Tho.  Avery's  child,  ABRAHAM;  John  Keney's 
Child,  ELIZABETH. 

March  13.  Rich.  Morgan  baptized  R(ichard);  Samll  Avery's 
child  SAMUEL;  John  Stebens  child,  ISBEL;  Peter  Harris 
child,  SAMUELL,  and  his  child,  THOMAS;  Joseph  Minor's 
wife,  ELIZABETH,  and  his  child,  JOSEPH,  and  his  child, 
ELIZABETH;  Thomas  Leach's  children,  THOMAS,  SARAH, 
FRANCIS;  Dinah  Hatch's  child,  MARY;  Mr.  Ezekiell  Turner's 
children;  [apparently  five  were  baptized  but  their  names  were 
not  given.] 

April  17.  Lt.  James  Avery's  child,  [name  not  given] ;  Thom- 
as Bennet,  himself,  THOMAS,  his  child  THOMAS;  Mrs.  Bulk- 
ley's  child,  HANAH;  Goodwife  Darrow's  child,  [no  name];  her 
child  JANE. 

May  1.  Goodwife  Williams  wife  of  John's  her  children  [no 
name;  apparently  four  were  baptized]. 

May  15.  Tho.  Way  was  baptized  THOMAS,  and  his  children, 
DANIELL,  THOMAS;  Tho.  Pember  and  his  wife  owned  ye 
Govt;  shee  was  baptized  AGNES,  and  yr  children,  MERCY, 
THOMAS  ELIZABETH;  Mrs.   Shapley's  child,   [no  name.] 

May  22.     Mrs.  Latham  her  child,  JOSEPH. 

May  29.     Mr.  Chester  his  child  [no  name.] 

June  19,  92.  John  Avery's  children  [four  seem  to  have  been 
baptized  but  no  names  are  entered.] 

June  26.  John  Bayly  and  wife  had  at  yt  time  baptized  yr 
children  [no  names.] 

July  17.  John  Keney's  child  [no  name];  Mr.  Richard  Chris- 
topher's child,  JOSEPH;  Robt.  Allen  and  his  wife  had  bap- 
tized a  child  [no  name]. 

July  24.  Jonathan  Prentice  and  his  wife  had  baptized  their 
child,  ELIZABETH;  Philip  Bill's  child,  [no  name]. 

Aug.  14.     Deacon  Coites  child,  SAMUEL. 


BAPTISMS.  457 

Aug.  21.  Samll  Bill  and  his  wife  had  baptd  yr  children 
SAMUELL,  PHILIP;  Esther  Swaddle  was  baptized  ESTHER, 
and  her  children  [no  names]. 

Sep.  25.     Ezekiell  Turner's  child,  GRACE. 

Oct.  4.     The  son  of  Mr.  Adam  Picket  named  JOHN. 

Octob.  9.     Robt.  Douglas's  children  SUSANNA,  RUTH, 

Octo.  23.     JOHN  HARRIS. 

Octo.  30.  Samll  Avery's  child,  [no  name] ;  Mrs.  Hannah 
Hall's  child,  [no  name]. 

Nov.  20.     John  Pike's  wife  had  her  child  baptized  [no  name]. 

Nov.  27.     John  Plumb  Junr  child,  JOHN. 

1693. 

March  5.     Swaddles  son,  WILLIAM. 

March  26.  John  Foxe's  child,  HANNAH;  John  Hough  his 
son,  SAMUELL;  John  Bayly  [no  name]. 

May  28.  Chapman  ye  wife  of  Wm.  Chapman  Junr  had  her 
children  baptized  DAVID,  JONATHAN. 

June  4.  James  Morgan  Junr  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  bap- 
tized, JAMES. 

June  25.  Owen  Macarte's  wife  had  her  child  baptized, 
CHARLES. 

July  2.     Lieut.  James  Avery's  child,  MARY. 

July  9.  Mr.  Benjamin  Shapley,  BENJAMIN;  Benjamin  Bee- 
be  son  of  Lt  John  Beebe,  Hannah  Beebe,  daughter  of  Thom. 
were  baptized,  BENJAMIN,  HANNAH;  John  Mayhew's  chil- 
dren, JOANNAH,  MARY,  PATIENCE;  Tho.  Leeches  child, 
WILLIAM. 

July  30.     Joseph  Latham's  child,  THOMAS. 

Aug  13.  John  Richards  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized, 
JOHN;  Gershom  Lambert's  child,  GERSHOM. 

Sep.  17.  Peter  Harris's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Martha  Mit- 
chell's children  MARY,  MARTHA,  THOMAS;  Natha.  Chap- 
pell  was  baptized,  NATHANIEL;  Elizabeth  Waterhouse  was 
baptized  ELIZABETH  and  her  child,  JOHN. 

[Sep.]  24.     Mrs.  Loomer's  children  [no  name]. 

Octo.  15.    Sampson  Horton's  wife  was  baptized  [no  name] ; 


458      LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Mr.  Trewman's  children  some  of  them  baptized  viz.  [no 
names] ;  Thomas  Bayly  and  his  wife  had  yr  children  bap- 
tized [no  names] ;  Robt.  Latimore  had  his  child  baptized, 
ROBERT;  Peter  Strickland  had  some  children  baptized,  viz. 
[apparently  three  were  baptized,  but  no  names  are  given]; 
Richard,  Mrs.   Prentiss  Indian  baptized,   RICHARD. 

Nov.  12.     Tho.  Wayd's  child,  EBENEZER. 

Jan.  14  [1694  N.  S.]  Mr.  Hubbell  and  his  wife  had  yr  child 
baptized  ELIZABETH. 

Jan.  21.     Stephen  Prentiss  had  his  child  baptized,  JOHN. 

Feb.  9.  Mr,  John  David's  child,  MARY;  Mr.  Fosdick's  child, 
JOHN;  Sampson  Horton's  children  on  ye  right  of  his  wife, 
SAMPSON,  ABIGAILL,  SARAH;  Robert  Allen's  child,  DEB- 
ORAH; before  this  [see  October  15,  1693];  Mr.  Trewman's 
daughters,  MARY,  ANN,  they  both  professing  faith  in  Christ. 

Feb.  11.     Jonathan  Prentiss  child,  ESTHER. 

Feb.  18.  Mr.  Ashby's  2  daughters  were  baptized,  MARY, 
HANNAH. 

March  4.     Mr.  Benjamin  Shapley's  child,  JANE. 

March  11.     Benjamin  Rose-Morgan  was  baptized  BENJAMIN. 

1694. 

March  25.     Mr.  Chester's  child,  HANAH. 

Aprill  2.     My  own  child,  SARAH;  Tho.  Pember's  child,  ANN. 

June  3.     John  Keny's  child,   MARY. 

June  10.     Widow  Woodmancy's  sons  JOSEPH,   GABRIELL. 

June  24.     John  Harris's  child,  OLLIVER. 

Sep.  2.     Mr.  Edgecomb's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sep.  23.     Mr.  Rich.  Christopher's  daughter,  MARY. 

Sep.  30.  Ezekiel  Turner's  daughter,  HANNAH;  John  Pike's 
child  [no  name.] 

Nov.  3.     David  Caulkin's  child,  JOSEPH. 

[Nov.]    10.     Sampson   Horton's   child,    MARGARETT., 

Dec.  2.     Hannah  Armstrong  was  baptized,  HANNAH. 

Jan.  6  [1695  N.  S.]  Samll  Rogers,  son  of  Joseph  Rogers 
was  baptized,  SAMUELL;  John  Plumb's  Junr  child  baptized, 
ABIGAIL. 


BAPTISMS.  459 

Jan.  13.  Mr.  George  Denison  had  his  daughter  baptized, 
GRACE;  Philip  Bil's  child,  PHILIP. 

1695. 

April  7.  Tho.  Bradford's  child,  WILLIAM;  John  Rich- 
ard's child,  GEORGE. 

Apr.  21.  Goodwife  Rose-Morgan's  children,  MARY,  ANN; 
Goodwife  Swaddles  child,  MARY. 

May  5.  Samll  Avery's  child  MARY;  Wm.  Pots  2  children, 
HANNAH,  ABIGAIL. 

May  12.  Ensign  John  Hough's  child,  ESTHER;  Wm.  Hough 
and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  ELIZABETH. 

May  26.  Nathaniel  Chappel's  wife,  and  her  sister  Abig- 
aill  Rose-Morgan,  were  baptized,  HOPESTILL,  ABIGAIL;  Na- 
thaniel Chappel's  child,  NATHANIEL;  James  Morgan  Junr's 
child  [no  name] ;  Bro.  David's  Indian,  was  baptized,  JANE. 

June  9.     Thomas  Bayly's  child,  ANDREW. 

July  7.  My  own  child  JERUSHA;  Wm.  Chapman's  child, 
HANNAH. 

July  14.     Tho.  Bennet's  child,  EBENEZER. 

[July]  21.    John  Pike's  child,  [no  name.] 

[July]  28.     John  Baylies  child  [no  name.] 

Aug.  4.  Benjamin  Beebe  and  his  wife  had  a  child  bap- 
tized, HANNAH. 

Aug.  25.     Capt.  Thom.  Avery's  child  JOSHUA. 

Sep.  8.  Goodwife  Carter,  wife  of  Owen  Carter,  her  child,, 
[no  name]. 

Sep.  15.  Danll  Dart  his  children  baptized,  THOMAS,  ELIZ- 
ABETH, DANIEL,  JOHN,  MARY. 

Octo.  27.    Mr.  Joshua  Raymond's  son  SANDS. 

Nov.  20.  Mr.  John  David's  child,  SARAH;  Thomas  Mitchell's 
child  [no  name]. 

Dec.  8.     Stephen  Prentiss  child  [no  name]. 

Dec.  15.     Samll  Bills  child   [no  name]. 

Dec.  22.     Mr.  Hubbel's  child,  EBENEZER. 

Jan.  26.  [1696  N.  S.]  Jeremiah  Chapman's  child,  JERE- 
MIAH. 


460      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

March  1.    Jonathan  Prents  child,  JONATHAN. 

1696. 

March  29.     Robt.  Allen's  child,  JOHN. 

Aprill  12.    Mr.  Pember's  child  JOHN. 

Ap.  19.  John  Harris  child,  JOSEPH;  John  Keney's  child, 
LYDIA;  Peter  Harris  child,  MERCY. 

May  24.    John  Coite's  child,  JOHN. 

May  31.    Widow  Tubs  child,   DORCAS. 

July  19.    My  own  son  GURDON. 

Aug.  2.    Tho.  Star  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  MARY. 

Aug.  9.     David  Calkins  child,  LYDIA. 

Aug.  30.     Mr.  Samll  Fosdick's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sep.  27.     Mr.  Rich.  Christopher's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Oct.  18.  Mr.  Joshua  Raymond's  child,  ELIZABETH,  and  his 
child,  MARY. 

Nov.  29.     John  Bil's  child,   [no  name]. 

Dec.  6.  Ezekiel  Turner's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Philip  Bil's 
child,  JOSEPH. 

[Dec]  13.     W.  Douglas  son  of  Dea.  Douglas  child,  HANNAH. 

Feb.  14,  1696-7.     Stephen  Prentiss  child,  HANNAH. 

March  7.  Mr.  George  Denison's  child,  PHEBE;  Sampson 
Horton's  child  (on  his  wives  right),  ELIZABETH. 

1697. 

March  21.  Mr.  Chester's  child,  JONATHAN;  Goodwife 
Swaddles  child,  HANNAH. 

Ap.  11.  William  Minor  and  his  wife  had  yr  children  bap- 
tized, WILLIAM,  CLEMENT;  Hannah  Walker's  child,  SAM- 
UEL. 

May  2.  Samuel  Avery's  child,  CHRISTOPHER;  William 
Brewsters  child,  SAMUEL;  Samll  Burchard's  child,  SAMUEL. 

[May]  9.  John  Avery's  child,  ELISHA,  and  his  child,  DE- 
SIRE; William  Hough's  child,  SAMUEL. 

July  25.  Wm  Morgan's  child,  WILLIAM;  Benjamin  Beebe's 
child,  BENJAMIN. 

Aug.  1.  Widow  Leeds  child,  GIDEON,  and  her  child, 
THOMAS;  Nath.  Chappel's  child,  SARAH. 


BAPTISMS.  461 

Aug.  8,  Samll  Waller's  wife  had  baptized  her  three  chil- 
dren [no  name] ;  Benj.  Rose-Morgan  and  his  wife  had  bap- 
tized yr  children,  JOSEPH,  BENJAMIN;  Stephen  Halbert's 
wife  had  baptized  her  children,  STEPHEN,  FREELOVE. 

Aug.  22.  Jonas  Green  and  his  wife  had  yr  children  baptized, 
JONAS,  SARAH. 

Aug.  29.  James  Avery  and  his  wife  had  their  child  bap- 
tized, JAMES;  Nehem.  Smith's  Junr  child,  DOROTHY;  Mrs. 
Mitchell's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Octob.  17.  Noah  Wels  child  [no  name] ;  Goodwife  Maccarty's 
child  [no  name]. 

Nov.  21.  John  Coit's  child,  JOSEPH;  James  Morgan  junr 
child  MARY. 

Feb..  20,  97-8.     Wm.  Clay's  child,  MARY. 

[Feb.]   27.     Capt.  John  Prents'   child,  JOHN. 

March  6.     Mr.  Benj.  Shapley's  child,  ADAM. 

March  20.     Gdm.   Leach's  child,   CLEMENT. 

1698. 

March  27.  Mr.  John  Keney's  child,  HANNAH;  Clement  Min- 
or's child,  JOSEPH;  Wm.  Walworth's  children  WILLIAM, 
JOHN,  MARY. 

May  29.  Robt.  Allen's  child,  ROBERT;  John  Bayly's  child 
EXPERIENCE;  Tho.  Way's  child,  JOHN. 

June  5.  Samll  Bill's  child,  JOSHUA;  Samll  Roger's  child, 
ANN. 

[June]  26.  Peter  Harris'  child  [no  name] ;  Danll  Dart's 
child,  EBENEZER. 

July  24.  W.  Douglas  junr  son  of  Dea.  Douglas,  had  his  child 
baptized,  WILLIAM. 

Aug.  14.     Benj  Morgan's  child,  MARY. 

Sep.  18.  John  Stebbins  Junr  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  bap- 
tized, JOHN. 

Oct.  2.     ThomafS  Starr's  child,  HANNAH. 

Oct.  30.    Wm.  Coites  child,  DANIEL. 

Nov.  6.  Wm  Morgans  child,  MARGARETT;  John  Harris's 
child,  ELIZABETH. 


462       LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

[Nov.]  13.     Mr.  Rich.  Christopher's  child,  GRACE. 

[Nov.]  20.     Tho.  Roses  child  MARGARETT. 

Dec.  11.     John  Chandler's  child,  WILLIAM. 

[Dec]  25.     John  Morgan  junr  child,  MARY. 

Jan.  1,   [1699  N.  S.]     Rich.  Walker's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Feb.  12.     Stephen  Hollibut's  child,  MARY. 

[Feb.]  26.     Ephraim  Wels  child,  ABIGAIL. 

March   19.     Ezekiel    Turner's    child,    EZEKIEL;    Mr.    Joseph 

Latham's  child,  GRACE. 

1699. 

Aprill  23.  John  Young  made  Profession  of  faith  and  owned 
ye  Govt;  was  baptized,  JOHN;  Mr.  Geo.  Denison's  child,  HAN- 
NAH; Wm  Latham  and  his  wife  had  their  child  baptized, 
MARY. 

Apr.  30,  Joseph  Harris  and  his  wife  had  their  child  bap- 
tized MARY. 

May  28.  Stephen  Prentis'  child,  STEPHEN;  William 
Hough's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

June  25.  Sampson  Haughton's  child,  [no  name] ;  Thomas 
Bennet's  child,  JOHN. 

July  9.  Mr.  Fosdick's  child,  MARY;  John  Richard's  child 
[no  name] ;  Jonas   Green's  child,   SAMUEL. 

Aug.  20.     Samll  Avery's  child,  HUMPHREY. 

Octo.  1.     Tho.  Bayly's  child,  HANNAH. 

Nov.  5.  Capt.  John  Avery's  child,  DANIEL;  Wm.  Minor's 
child  SEUSANNA;  Benjamin  Beebe's  child,  JAMES;  Sampson 
Horton's  child,  EBENEZER;  Jonathan  Star  had  his  child  bap- 
tized, SAMUELL. 

Dec.  31.  Ens.  Hough's  child,  DAVID;  John  Plumb's  child 
HANNAH;  Clemt  Minor  Junr  and  his  wife  owned  ye  Govt 
with  God,  and  had  yr  child  baptized,  MARTHA, 

Jan.  14,  [1700  N.  S.]  John  Latham  and  his  wife  Mercy,  had 
their  child  baptized,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  18.  Nath  Chappel's  child  SAMUELL;  Jonathan  Pren- 
tis's  child,  ANN. 

[Feb.]  25.  John  Keney's  child,  JOHN;  John  Coites  child, 
SAMUEL. 


BAPTISMS.  463 

1700. 

March  [no  date].     Daniel  Dart's  child,  SARAH. 

Aprill    7.     Ephraim    Wells's    Twins,    EPHRAIM,    THOMAS; 

William  Brewster's  child,  PATIENCE. 
[Ap.]  21.     John  Chandler's  child,  MARY. 

[Ap.]  28.  John  Butler  had  his  children  baptized  [no  names 
are  given  but  six  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler  seem  to 
have  been  baptized.];  William  Walworth's  child,  [no  name]. 

May  26.  Peter  Harris's  child,  PETER;  James  Avery  Junr's 
child,  in  right  of  his  wife,  JOHN;  John  Bayly's  child,  HAN- 
NAH. 

June  9.  Thomas  Mitchels  child,  in  right  of  his  wife  [no 
name;]  Thomas  Way's  child  [no  name]. 

July  7.     Rich.   Morgan's  child,  ANNA. 

July  14.  John  Butler's  child,  JONATHAN;  Wm.  Morgan's 
child,  DEBORAH;  Dina  Hatches  child,  DINAH. 

Aug.  4th.     Jeremiah  Chapman's  child,  HANNAH. 

Aug.  25th.  Zecharias  Maynard,  (formerly  living  at  Marl- 
borough) and  his  wife  (ye  dauter  of  Geo.  Geers  of  this  town) 
had  yr  child  baptized,  ZECHARIAS. 

Sep.  8.  Mr.  John  David's  child,  JOHN;  Samll  Bill's  child, 
JONATHAN. 

[Sep.]  15.  William  Sherswood  and  his  wife  had  baptized  yr 
children  viz.,  JONATHAN,  GEORGE,  ABIGAIL;  Tho:  Star's 
child,  THOMAS;  Capt.  John  Prentis  child,  IRENE;  John  Har- 
ris child,  RICHARD. 

Dec.  8.  Samll  Rogers  child,  ABIGAIL;  James  Morgan's 
child,  DANIEL;  Wm.  Latham's  child,  HANNAH. 

Dec.  22.  Mr.  John  Christophers  was  baptized  JOHN,  And 
had  at  ye  same  time  his  Daughter  baptized  and  named,  ELIZ- 
ABETH; Nehemiah  Smith's  junr,  child,  ELIZABETH;  John 
Horton's  child,  HANNAH;  William  Coites  child,  ELIZABETH. 

[Dec]  29.     Deacon  Plumbs  child,  PETER. 

Feb.  2.     Clement  Minor's  child,  CLEMENT. 

1701. 
March  30.    Wm.  Hough's  child,  SARAH. 


464      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

Aprill  6.  Joseph  Harris'  child,  PHEBE;  Joseph  Woodmancy 
and  his  wife  had  their  child  bapt.,  JOHN. 

Ap.    13.     Stephen   Hollibut's   child,    JOHN. 

[Ap.]  27.  Ezekiel  Turner's  child,  LUCRETIA;  Abel  Moor 
had  his  child  baptized  and  named,  REBECKAH. 

May  18.    Mr.   George   Denison's  child,   BORADILL, 

[May]  25.  Mr.  John  Christophers  child,  JOHN;  William 
Minor's  child,  CHRISTOPHER. 

June  1.  Robt.  Allen's  children  in  Right  of  his  Wife; 
JAMES,  EBENEZER;  William  Walworth's  children,  THOMAS, 
JAMES. 

.June  8.  Sam.  Smith  had  his  child  baptized,  NEHEMIAH; 
Daniell  Comstock  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  PETER. 

June  15.     John  Morgan  Junr  child,  JOHN. 

June  22.  John  Hawke  had  his  child  baptized  ANNE; 
GEORGE  WAY  was  baptized  himself,  and  admitted  to  ye 
Lord's  Table,  and  also  had  his  children  baptized.  [No  names 
are  recorded,  but  there  seem  to  have  been  four  children  bap- 
tized] ;  Samll  Comstock  and  his  wife  had  their  child  baptized, 
[no  name]. 

June  29.  Richard  Halsey  Junr,  Mary  Rogers  daughter  of 
James,  baptized,  RICHARD,  MARY;  Richard  Dart  Junr 
and  his  wife  had  baptized  yr  child,  JOHANNA;  Edward  Avery 
and  his  wife  had  yr  child  bap.  ELIZABETH;  Stephen  Pren- 
tis's  child  JOSEPH. 

Aug.  17.  Mr.  Richard  Christopher's  child  LYDIA;  Richard 
Rose-Morgan's   child,   ABRAHAM. 

Sep.  21.     Jonathan  Starr's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Octo.  26.  John  Richards  child,  LOVE;  [no  name]  Birchard's 
child,  son  in  law  of  David  Calkins  Snr.  ANN. 

Nov.  30.  James  Rogers  son  of  James  Rogers,  was  baptized, 
JAMES. 

Nov.  Mr.  Jonathan  Calkins  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  bap- 
tized, JONATHAN. 

Dec.  7.     Benjamin  Beebe's  child,  JOHN. 

Dec.  28.    Mary  Covel  was  baptized,  MARY. 

Jan.  18,  1701-2.    William  Coite's  child,  WILLIAM. 


BAPTISMS.  465 

Janry  25th.    My  own  child  (born  Janr  19th),  ROSEWELL. 

Febr.  1st.     Elleph  Chappell  was  baptized,   ELLEPH. 

[Feb.]  15.  Wm.  Douglas  junr  and  his  wife  had  baptized 
their  child,  JOHN. 

[Feb.]   22.     Danll  Dart's  Daughter,  ABIA. 

March  1.  John  Burrow's  junr  and  his  wife  had  baptized 
yr  child,  JOHN. 

[March]  8.  Jonathan  Hill  had  baptized  his  Daughter,  JANE; 
Jonathan  Leister  and  his  wife  had  baptized  their  child,  JON- 
ATHAN; Ellenor  Jennings  was  baptized,  ELLBNOR;  Ephraim 
Wells  child,  MARY. 

March  15.     Petr   Harris's   child,  MARY. 

1702. 

Aprill.     Richard  Atwell  was  baptized,  RICHARD. 

May  10.     Samll  Rogers  child,  SAMUELL. 

[May]  31.  Mr.  John  Davis  child,  HUMPHREY;  Tho.  Way's 
child,  MAY. 

June  7.  Rice's  child,  his  wife  being  in  full  communion  with 
ye  church,  ABISHA;  John  Coit's  child,  THOMAS. 

June  14.     Wm.  Morgan's  child,  HANNAH. 

[June]  28.     Ensign  John  Hough's  child,  JABEZ. 

August  9.     EPHRAIM  WELLS. 

[August]  16.  Agnes  Daniels  wife  of  John  Daniels  was  bap- 
tized, AGNES;  George  Way's  child,  ELIZABETH;  William 
Hatch's  child,  WILLIAM;  Edward  Avery's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sep.  20.  The  wife  of  Mr.  Ray  had  baptized  her  children  SI- 
MON, GIDEON,  NATHANIEL;  the  wife  of  Wilson  had  bap- 
tized her  child,  MARY. 

Sep.  27.  Samll  Bill's  child,  MERCY;  Jonathan  Prentis's 
child  MARY. 

Octo.  25.  Hannah  Baker  wife  of  Joshua  Baker,  and  Mercy 
Manwaring,  were  baptized,  HANNAH,  MERCY;  Benj.  Shap- 
ley  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  BENJAMIN;  Graves' 
child,  RUTH. 

Nov.  1.  John  Bill's  [child],  ABIGAIL;  James  Rogers  junrs 
children,   MARY,   EDWARD;   Joseph   Trueman  and  his   wife 


466      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

had  baptized  their  child,  [no  name];  Jeremiah  Chapman's 
child,  [no  name]. 

Jan.  3,  1702-3.     John  Butler's  child,  ELNATHAN. 

Feb.  14.  John  Bayly's  child,  LYDIA;  Joseph  Woodmancy's 
child,  SARAH. 

Feb.  21.     Thomas  Starrs  child,  JERUSHA. 

Feb.  28.     Thomas  Bennit's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

March  7.     Jonathan  Leister's  child,  HANNAH. 

March  14.    Ezekiel  Turner's  child  ABIGAIL. 

1703. 

March  28.     William  Minor's  child,  THOMAS. 

May  2.  Joshua  Baker,  Alexander  Baker,  Rebecca  Richards 
wife  of  Israel,  were  baptized,  JOSHUA,  ALEXANDER,  RE- 
BECCA; Deacon  Plumb's  child,  LYDIA;  Clement  Miner's  child, 
WILLIAM;  John  Edgecomb's  child,  NICHOLAS;  DANIEL 
COMSTOCK;  GEORGE  WAY. 

June  7.     Peter  Hackley  had  his  child  baptized  JOHANNAH. 

June  28.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Christopher's  child,  ESTHER;  John 
Burrow's  Junrs  child,  LYDIA;  Mrs.  Wilson,  daughter  of  Mr. 
Manwaring's  child,  ANNA. 

July  2.  Mr.  George  Denison's  child,  DANIEL;  John  Hor- 
ton's  child  [no  name]. 

[July]  11.  William  Camp's  children  were  baptized,  RICH- 
ARD, BATHSHUA,  ELIZABETH,  LETTICE,  WILLIAM, 
JAMES. 

[July]  25.  John  Leister  and  his  wife  had  baptized  yr  child, 
JOHN. 

Aug.  1.    Wm  Hough's  child,  [no  name]. 

Aug.  8.  John  Daniels  children,  JOHN,  SAMUELL,  THOMAS, 
JONATHAN,  MARY,  NATHANIEL,  WILLIAM,  EBENEZER; 
Joshua  Baker  had  four  of  his  daughters,  baptized  viz. 
ELIZABETH  (wife  of  Rich.  Atwell),  SARAH,  HANNAH, 
MARY;  Robert  Stodders  children,  ROBERT,  ELIZABETH, 
MERCY;  Christopher  Darrow  and  his  wife  had  baptized  their 
child,   CHRISTOPHER. 

Aug.  15.    Jonathan  Calkins  child,  JONATHAN. 


BAPTISMS.  46T 

Sep.  5.  Robt.  Latimore's  children,  JONATHAN,  SAMUEL.L, 
PETER;  Thomas  Rose's  child,  JOHN;  Samuell  Avery's  child, 
LiUCY;  Israel  Richards  had  baptized  his  children,  ISRAEL, 
REBECCA,  LYDIA,  HANNAH. 

Sep.  26.  George  Potter's  children  in  right  of  his  wife, 
ISAAC,  LYDIA. 

Octo.  10.     Thomas  Way's  child,  JAMES. 

[Octo.]    17.     Stephen   Prents'   child,   ELIZABETH. 

Nov.  14.  Mr.  Richd.  Christopher's  son,  BERRIE;  John 
Hawkes  son,  JAMES;  John  Stebens  Junr's  son,  JOHN;  Joseph 
Bayly's  wife  reed  baptism,  her  name  being,  SARAH;  Josuph 
Bayly's  daughter  was  also  baptized  SARAH. 

Dec.   19.     John  Richard's  child,  OLIVER. 

Jan.  17.  [1704  N.  S.]  Peter  Harris's  child,  MARTHA;  Dan- 
iel Dart's  child,  LYDIA. 

March  19.  Charles  Hill's  child,  MARY;  Benj.  Star  and  his 
wife  had  baptized  yr  child,  HANNAH. 

1704. 

March  26.  John  Coite's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Wm.  Latham's 
child,  WILLIAM;  Danll  Leister  Junr  and  his  wife  had  bap- 
tized yr  child,  MARY;  Green  Plumb's  wife  had  baptized  her 
children,  MARY,   SAMUEL,  MERCY. 

May  29.  Ephraim  Well's  child,  SARAH;  John  Latham's 
child,  GRACE. 

June  11.     Israel  Richard's  child  [no  name]. 

June  25.  My  own  Daughter,  KATHERINE,  who  was  born 
June  ye  19th,  1704:  2  of  ye  clock  morning. 

July  9.  James  Avery  Junr  his  child,  EBENEZER;  Robt 
Allen's  child,  SAMUELL;  Edward  Avery's  child,  EDWARD. 

[July]  16.     Noah  Well's  child  [no  name]. 

[July]  30.  [no  name]  Ray's  child  (of  Block  Island)  [no 
name]. 

August  6.  George  Darrow  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  Bap- 
tized [no  name];  Nehemiah  Smith's  child  [no  name]. 

Aug.  13.    Christopher  Darrow's  child,  EBENEZER. 


468      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Aug.  27.  Mary,  a  mulatto,  living  at  Mr.  Jonas  Green's;  was 
baptized,  MARY. 

Sep.  3.    Joseph  Tnieman's  child  [no  name]. 

Sep.  10.  George  Chappel's  child  MARY;  Wm.  Swaddles  child, 
IRENE. 

Sep.  24.  Mr.  John  Arnold's  child,  RUAMAH;  John  Bill's 
child,    JAMES. 

Oct.  8.     Mr.  Wilson's  (of  Block  Island)  child,  HANNAH. 

[Oct.]  29.  Jeremiah  Chapman's  child,  GIDEON;  Ben.  Beebe's 
child  EBENEZER;  Ben.  Grave's  child  MARY;  Capt.  Thomas 
Avery's  child  [no  name]. 

Feb.  4,  1704-5.     Jonathan  Prents  child,  JOHN. 

March  4.     Robt.  Stodder's  child  MARY. 

March  17.    Joseph  Harris's  child,  HANNAH. 

1705. 

[March]  24.     Clement  Minor's  child,  JOSEPH. 

May  13th.  Ensign  Richard's  child,  LYDIA;  James  Roger's 
child,  JAMES;  John  Leister's  child,  DAVID. 

May  20.     Goodwife  Camp's  child,  SARAH. 

[May]  27.     Ruth  Shapley's  child,  JOSEPH. 

June  3.  John  Daniel's  child,  SUSANNA;  John  Edgecomb's 
child  in  right  of  his  wife,  HANNAH;  Peter  Hackley's  child, 
PETER. 

June  10.  Ebenezer  Griffin's  child,  SAMUEL;  John  Mayhew's 
children,  twins,  SARAH,  JOANNAH. 

July  15.     Deacon  Plumb's  child,  HANNAH. 

July  22.  Joannah  Bodington  was  baptized  herself,  JOAN- 
NAH, and  her  son,  WALTER;  John  Butler's  child,  EZEKIEL; 
Thomas  Avery  and  his  wife  had  baptized  yr  child,  THOMAS. 

Aug.  19.     Jonathan  Calkins's  child,  HANNAH. 

Sept.  23.  Mr.  Denison's  child,  WITHERELL;  Thomas  Star's 
child  [no  name]. 

[Sept.]  30.  Mr.  Christopher's  child,  RUTH;  Mr.  Minor's 
child,  SARAH;  Jonas  Green's  Twins,  JOSEPH,  JANE. 

Octo.  14.  John  More's  wife  was  baptized,  ELIZABETH; 
their  child  also  was  baptized,  ABELL. 


BAPTISMS.  469 

Oct.  29.     Benjamin  Star's  child,  LYDIA. 

Nov.  5.  Daniell  Comstock's  child  JONATHAN;  widow 
Hough's  child,   MARY. 

Dec.  9.  William  Douglas's  child  [no  name] ;  Jonathan  Hill's 
child  [no  name]. 

[Dec]  16.     Richard  Douglas's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Jan.  20,  [1706  N.  S.]  Danll  Dart's  child,  SAMUEL;  George 
Way's  child  ELL.EPH. 

Feb.  17.     Israel  Richard's  child,  ANNE. 

Feb.  24.     Robert  Douglas's  child,  ROBERT. 

1706. 
March  24.     Stephen  Hallibut's  child,   TITUS,   and  his  child, 

SARAH. 

Apr.  7.  Mr.  Bartholomew  Grossmen's  child,  JOHN;  John 
Coite's  child,  MARTHA. 

May  5.     Ebenezer  Dart's  child,  ROGER. 

June  2.  Thomas  Willee  was  baptized,  THOMAS;  Nath. 
Chappel's  child  [no  name]. 

[June]  23.     Sam.  Smith's  child  [no  name]. 

July  7.  My  own  son  (born  ye  Friday  before)  NATHAN- 
IEL. 

July  14.  Thomas  Bennet's  child,  AMBROSE;  Rich.  Atwell's 
child,  BENJAMIN;  Joshua  Baker's  child,  JOSHUA. 

July  21.  Peter  Harris's  child,  STEPHEN;  Charles  Hill's 
child,  CHARLES. 

July  28.     Samll  Comstock's  child,  NATHANIEL. 

Aug.  18.     Christopher  Darrow's  child  [no  name]. 

Aug.  25.  Wm.  Holt  was  baptized,  WILLIAM;  John  Crocker's 
w^dow  was  baptized;  likewise  also  all  her  children  were  4  [no 
names] ;  The  wife  of  John  Sampson,  had  her  children  baptized 
[no  names]. 

Sep.  1.  Mr.  Arnold's  child,  LUCRETIA;  James  Rogers  junrs 
child,  ELIZABETH. 

[Sep.]  29.  John  Stedman's  children,  being  presented  by  yr 
grandmother,  John  Fox's  wife,  were  baptized,  HANNAH, 
JANE;  Henry  Brooks'  children,  ISAAC,  HANNAH,  RUTH, 
TIMOTHY;  Benjamin  Graves's   child,   THANKFUL. 


470        LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Octob.  13.  John  Steben's  Junrs  child,  MARTHA;  Danll 
Leister's  child,   ELIZABETH. 

Nov.  29.  Clement  Minors  child,  JOHN;  Joseph  Trueman's 
child,  JOSEPH. 

Dec.  1.    John  Daniel's  child,  HANNAH. 

[Dec]  22.    Stephen  Prents'  child,  ESTHER. 

Jan.  5,  [1707  N.  S.]     Jeremiah  Chapman's  child  [no  name]. 

March  9.    Joseph  Harris's  child,  GRACE. 

1707. 

[March]  23.     R.  Christopher  Esqr.  his  child,  JOHANNA. 

Ap.  20.     Oliver  Manwaring's  child,  RICHARD. 

May  25.     Tho.  Avery's  child,  ANNE. 

June  1.    John  Harris's  child,  HENRY. 

July  20.  John  Rose-Morgan  was  baptized  himself,  JOHN, 
and  his  children,  RICHARD,  BETHIAH,  ANNE,  ELIZABETH; 
John  Latham's  child  LYDIA. 

Aug.  3.    Samll  Rogers  Junrs  child,  THOMAS. 

Sep.  7.    Mr.  Denison's  child,  ANNE. 

Oct.  5.  Mr.  Jeremiah  Wilson's  child,  SARAH;  David  Rich- 
ard's child  SARAH;  Ben.  Star's  child  ELIZABETH. 

Nov.  9.     Ens.  Latimore's  child,  ANNE. 

[Nov.]  16.     Ens.  Richard's  child,  MARY. 

[Nov.]  23.     Nath  Chappel's  child  MARY. 

Dec.  1.  Rich.  Carver's  child,  ELIZABETH;  George  Way's 
child,  MEHITABLE. 

1707-8.  Baptized  by  ye  Rev.  Mr.  Woodward,  [of  Norwich] 
Danl  Dart's  child,  JABEZ. 

Feb.  1.  Baptized  by  ye  Revd  Mr.  James  Noyes,  [of  Stoning- 
ton]  Stephen  Prents  child,  BENJAMIN;  Jonathan  Hill's  child, 
RUTH;  Richard  Douglas's  child,  WILLIAM;  Alexander  Baker's 
child,  HANNAH. 

III.     BY  ELIPHALET  ADAMS. 
Feb.  20th.    1708-9.    The  Honble  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child, 
GURDON;  Jeremiah  Chapman's  child,  JAMES;  John  Daniel'3 
child,    JAMES;    Oliver    Manwaring's    child,    WILLIAM;    John 
Morgan,  alias  Rose-Morgan's  child,  JOHN. 


BAPTISMS.  471 

March  6.  Thomas  Leach's  child,  SAMUEL;  Joseph  True- 
man's  child,  JOHN. 

March  13.    Jonathan  Calkins  child,  AMOS. 

March  20.  Clement  Minor's  child,  MARY;  Israel  Richard's 
child,  JEMIMA;  John  Lester's  child  HANNAH. 

1709. 

March  27.  Charles  Hill's  child,  ABIGAIL;  William  Minor's 
child,  SAMUEL;  James  Rogers's  child,  ESTHER;  Ebenezer 
Dart's  child,   JOHN. 

April  10.  Richard  Christophers  Esqr  his  child,  LUCRETIA; 
Thomas  Way's  child,  HANNAH;  Ebenezer  GriflBn's  child, 
LTDIA. 

April  24.     Richard  Atwel's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

May  1st.  Henry  Brooks's  child,  JOHN;  John  More's  child, 
ELIZABETH. 

May  15.  Peter  Hackley's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Benjamin 
Graves's  child,  JEDEDIAH. 

May  29.    Thomas  Bennet's  child,  SARAH. 

June  12.  Peter  Harris's  child,  JOSEPH;  David  Calkins's 
child,  ELIZABETH. 

June  19.  Mr,  John  Gardiner's  child  in  right  of  his  wife, 
SARAH. 

June  26.    Joseph  Harris's  child,   TEMPERANCE. 

July  3.  John  Richards' s  child,  MARY;  John  Stebbens's 
child,  LYDIA. 

July  10.  William  Robins  was  baptized  himself,  WILLIAM, 
and  his  children,  ELIZABETH,  HANNAH,  SARAH,  JOHN. 

July  17th,    Joshua  Baker's  children,  SAMUEL,  ELIZABETH. 

July  24th,     Samuel  Chapman  was  baptized,  SAMUEL, 

Aug.  7th.    Paltiel  Stebbins'  child  MARAH, 

Aug.  14th.  Richard  Dart's  child,  PETER;  Thomas  Short's 
child,  KATHERINE. 

Sep,  4th.     David  Culver's  child,  DAVID, 

Oct,  30th,     John  Mayhew's  child,  ELIZABETH, 


472      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Nov.  13th.  Jacob  Waterhouse  Junr  was  Baptized,  JACOB; 
Thomas  Jiggles'  child,  MAKY, 

Jan.  [no  date]  [1710  N.  S.]  John  Hawk's  child,  HANNAH; 
Joshua  Hemstead's  children,  THOMAS,  JOHN. 

Feb.  12th.    David  Richard's  child,  JOSEPH. 

March  12th.  William  Horsey  Junr  was  Baptized,  WILLIAM; 
Deacon  John  Plum's  child,  PATIENCE. 

1710. 

March  26th.  Thomas  Leach's  child,  JOSEPH;  Benjamin 
Star's  child,  JASPER. 

April  23d.     Jonathan  Hill's  child,  MARY. 

May  7th.     Thomas  Douglass's  child,  JAMES. 

May  21st.  Ephraim  Wells's  child,  HANNAH;  The  widow 
Ann  Strickland's  child,  ANN. 

May  28th.  Samuel  Rogers's  child,  GEORGE;  John  Wade's 
child,  JOHN. 

June  4th.     Henry  Brook's  child,  COMFORT. 

June  11th.  Samuel  and  Robert  Chapman,  the  sons  of  Sam- 
uel Chapman,  were  baptized,  SAMUEL,  ROBERT. 

June  18th.  Clement  Minor's  child,  HUGH;  Richard  Atwel's 
child,  RICHARD;  John  More's  child,  HANNAH. 

June  25th.  Jonas  Hambleton  and  his  wife  were  baptized, 
JONAS,  ELIZABETH,  and  their  child,  JONATHAN;  Abigail 
Willoughby  the  wife  of  William  was  baptized,  ABIGAIL,  and 
her  children,  WILLIAM,  THANKFUL;  Jemima  Daniel,  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Daniel  was  baptized,  JEMIMA;  Joanna  and 
Mercy  Williams  were  baptized,  JOANNA,  MERCY;  Mr.  George 
Denison's  child,  SARAH. 

July  2d.  Lydia  Chapman  the  wife  of  William  Chapman  was 
baptized,  LYDIA;  and  her  children,  SOLOMON,  RUTH,  LYDIA, 
SARAH;  Samuel  Chapman's  children,  JOSEPH,  JOANNA, 
PETER,  THOMAS,  REBECKAH,  EPHRAIM;  William  Doug- 
lass's child,  WILLIAM;  Solomon  Coyt's  child,  SOLOMON; 
Ebenezer  Dennis's  child,  SARAH. 

July  23d.     Edward  and  Mary  Stebbins,  the  children  of  Danl 


BAPTISMS.  473 

Stebbins,  were  baptized  EDWARD,  MARY.  He  had  other 
children  baptized  also,  CHRISTOPHER,  ELIZABETH,  ANN. 

Aug.  20th.  Peter  Manwaring's  child,  LOVE;  Samuel  Com- 
stoek's  child,  ZEBEDIAH;  Alexander  Baker's  child,  MARY. 

Aug.  27th.  William  Willoughby's  children,  ABIGAIL, 
MERCY,  DELIVER. 

Sept.  3d.  The  Honble  Gurdon  Saltonstal  Esq,  his  child, 
RICHARD;  Nathaniel  Holt  was  baptized  NATHANIEL,  and 
his  children,  ELIZABETH,  WILLIAM;  Benjamin  Betoe's  child, 
REBECKAH. 

Sep.  10th.     Thomas  Jones  Junr  was  baptized  THOMAS. 

Sep.  24th.  Thomas  Jones's  children,  THOMAS,  JAMES, 
MARY,  LUCY. 

Oct.  1st.    Mr.  Wilson  (of  Road  Island's)  child,  ALICE. 

Oct.  8th.  My  own  child,  WILLIAM;  William  Camp's  child, 
SAMUEL;  Ebenezer  Dart's  child,  BETHIAH. 

Oct.  22d.  Mary  Hains  was  baptized,  MARY;  Mercy  Munsel 
was  baptized,  MERCY. 

Nov.   26th.     Charles  Hill's  child,  CHARLES. 

Dec.  lOth.     William  Minor's  child,  ANN. 

Dec.  24th.  John  Picket's  child,  JOHN;  Joseph  Trueman's 
child,  JANE. 

Dec.  31st.     Richard  Douglass's  child,  ABIEL. 

Jan.  28th,  [1711  N.  S]  John  Mayhew's  child,  JOANNA. 

March  4th.     Stephen  Prentis's  child,  MERCY. 

1711. 

April  1st.     James   Rogers   child.   URIAH. 

May  6.  Benjamin,  Mercy,  and  Patience  Baker,  the  children 
of  Joshua  Baker,  were  baptized,  BENJAMIN,  MERCY,  PA- 
TIENCE. 

May  13th.     Oliver  Manwaring's  child,  OLIVER. 

May  20th.     Peter  Hackley's  child,  RICHARD. 

June  3d.  John  Wade's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Solomon  Coyt's 
child,  NATHANIEL. 

June  10th.     Samuel  Chapman's  child,  BETHIAH. 

June  24th.     Samuel  Fosdyck's  children,  SAMUEL,  MERCY. 


474      LATER   HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

July  1st.     William  Chapman's  child,  PHEBE. 

July  29tli.     Patience  Fergo  was  baptized,  PATIENCE. 

Aug.  5tli.     Jonathan  Calkins  child,  GRACE. 

Aug.   12th.     Israel   Richards's  child,   SARAH. 

Aug.  19th.  Ebenezer  Griffin's  child.  MARY;  Joshua  More's 
wife  was  baptized,  SUSANNA,  and  their  child,  JOSHUA;  Row- 
land Powel  of  Lebanon,  his  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Aug.  26th.     Richard  Christophers  Esqr.  his  child,  LUCY. 

Sept.  9th.  Daniel  Way's  child,  ABIGAIL;  Joshua  Baker  Junr 
his  child,  GIDEON. 

Nov.  4th.  Daniel  Dart's  child,  RUTH;  Jeremiah  Chapman's 
child,  SARAH;  Ebenezer  Dennis's  child,  ESTHER;  David 
Culver's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  2d.     Mr.  Wilson's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  30th.  Joseph  Harris's  child,  JOSEPH;  Thomas  Short's 
child,  CHARLES. 

Jan.  6th,  [1712  N.  S.]     Jonathan  Hill's  child,  CHARLES. 

Jan.  27th.     Joshua  Hemstead's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Feb.  10th.     Samuel  Fosdyk's  child,  WILLL-UI. 

Feb.  24th.  Deliverance  Munsel  was  baptized,  DELIVER- 
ANCE; Stephen  Holiboat's  child,  JOSEPH. 

March  9th.  John  Pendal's  children,  JOHN,  ELIZABETH. 
JONATHAN. 

March  16th.     Deacon  Plum's  child.  ELISHA. 

1712. 

March  23d.     Christopher  Darrow's  child,  GEORGE. 
March  30th.     My  own  child,  PYGAN;  Thomas  Leaches  child, 
RICHARD;  John  Morgan's  child,  PETER. 
April  6th.     John  Richard's  child,  GL^Y.  i 
April  13th.     Clemt  Minor's  child,  THOMAS. 
April  27th.     George  Chappel's  child,  JABESH. 
May   4th.     Thomas    Willee's    child,    ABRAHAM. 
May  11th.     Samuel  Williams  baptized,  SAMUEL. 


iQn  page  282,  Early  History,  the  year  of  his  birth  ia  incorrectly  given  a» 
1722.    It  should  be  1712. 


BAPTISMS.  475 

May  18th.  Jonas  Hambleton's  child,  SOLOMON;  David  Calk- 
ins's  child,  MARAH. 

June  22d.     Benjamin  Starr's  child,  DANIEL. 

June  29th.  Benjamin  Atwel  his  wife  was  baptized,  MARY; 
also  their  children,  BENJAMIN,  JOSEPH,  MARY;  Richard 
Atwel's  child,  WILLIAM. 

July  13th.     Samuel  Rogers's  child,  MERCY. 

Aug.  3d.    Richard  Christophers  Junr  his  child,  RICHARD. 

Aug.  10th.  Benjamin  Bebe's  child,  ZACHEUS;  Daniel  Com- 
stock's  child,  JAMES;  Jonathan  Roff's  child,  DANIEL. 

Aug.  17th.     Daniel  Leister's  child,  SUSANNA. 

Sept.  7th.  William  Minor's  child,  JOHN;  William  Douglass's 
child,  SARAH. 

Sept.  28th.  John  Picket's  child,  HANNAH;  Henry  Brooks's 
child,  ELLEPH. 

Oct.   5th.     David  Richard's  child,   RUTH. 

Oct.  19th.    Daniel  Way's  child,  LYDIA. 

Dec.  28th.    William  Robins's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Jan.  11th,  [1713  N.  S.]  Mr.  John  Winthrop's  child,  RE- 
BECKAH. 

Feb.  8th,    Ann  Tongue  wife  of  John  was  baptized,  ANN. 

1713. 

April  5th.  Andrew  Palms's  child,  GUY;  James  Rogers's 
child,  JEDIDIAH;  Jonathan  Hill's  child,  GEORGE;  Ebenezer 
Denniss's  child,  MARY. 

April   26th.    Joseph   Trueman's   child,   HENRY. 

June  7th.     Israel  Richard's  child,  RACHEL. 

June  14th.  Samuel  Comstock's  child,  CALEB;  Thomas  Jones 
Junr  his  child,  JABESH. 

June  21st.  Nathaniel  Holt's  child,  PHEBE;  John  Vibber's 
child  JOANNA. 

July  5th.  Solomon  Coyt's  child,  MARY;  Joseph  Chapman's 
child,  MOSES. 

July  12th.    Abigail  Willoughby  alias  Camp's  child,  JOHN. 

Aug.  2d.    John  Stebbins  child,  CHRISTOPHER. 

Aug.   23d.     Jeremiah  Wilson's  child,   MERCY. 


476        LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Aug.  30th.    John  More's  child,  JOHN. 

Oct.  4th.    Jonathan  Calkins's  child,  THOMAS. 

Oct.  11th.     Oliver  Manwaring's  child,   SAMUEL. 

Nov.  1st.  Peter  Hackley's  child,  SARAH;  Thomas  Doug- 
lass's child,  DANIEL. 

Nov  22d.    John  Mayhew's  child,  SARAH. 

Jan  31st,  [1714  N.  S.]  Thomas  Way's  child,  ANN;  Christo- 
pher Darrow's  child,  SAMUEL. 

Feb.  7th.  Clement  Minor's  child,  SOLOMON;  Samuel  Fos- 
dyck's  child,  RUTH. 

Feb.  21st.     Peter  Manwaring's  child,  MARY. 

March  21st.    My  own  child,  MARY. 

1714. 

April  18th.  Richard  Rogers,  and  Hannah  Lewis,  daughter  of 
John  Lewis,  were  baptized  RICHARD,  HANNAH;  John  Pen- 
dal's  child,  MEHETABEL. 

April  25th.     Mr.  John  Winthrop's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

May  2d.  Jonas  Green's  child,  LYDIA;  Joshua  Hemstead's 
child,  ELIZABETH. 

May  9th.  Edward  Hallam's  child,  GRACE;  John  Pike's  child, 
SAMUEL. 

May  16th.    Thomas  Leaches  child,  MERCY. 

May  23d.  The  widow  Sarah  Crocker's  children,  ABIGAIL, 
RACHEL;  John  Vibber's  child,  JOHN;  Thomas  Willee's  child, 
ELIZABETH. 

May  30th.  Hannah  Pember,  wife  of  Thomas  Pember,  her 
child,  HANNAH;  John  Rose  Morgan's  child,  HANNAH. 

June  13th.  Daniel  Leister's  child,  NOAH;  John  Larabee  of 
Coventry  his  child,  JERUSHA. 

July  4th.  Benjamin  Star's  child,  GRACE;  Joshua  More's 
child,  SUSANNA. 

Aug.  8th.     Benjamin  Bebe's  child,  JOANNA. 

Aug.  15th.  Daniel  Dart's  child,  ELIZABETH;  William 
Minor's  child,  SYLVESTER. 

Aug.    29th.    Christopher    Christopher's   child,   MARY;   John 


BAPTISMS.  477 

Picket's  child,  MARY;  Henry  Brooks's  child,  SAMUEL;  Daniel 
Way's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sept.  5th.     David  Culver's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Sept.  19th.  Richard  Christophers  Junr  his  child,  ELIZA- 
BETH; Daniel  Comstock's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Oct.  24th.    Joseph  Hunt's  child,  ANN. 

Nov.  7th.  Andrew  Palms's  child,  BRYAN;  Richard  Doug- 
lass's child,  CALEB. 

Dec.  19th.     Jonathan  Roff's  child,  JOHN. 

Jan.  9th.  [1715  N.  S.]     Thomas  Jiggles's  child,  MERCY. 

1715. 

May  15th.     Joseph  Harris's  child,  JOHN. 

May  22d.     Samuel  Douglass's  child,  SARAH. 

May  29th.     Israel  Richards's  child,  LOVE. 

June  12th.  William  Douglass's  child,  PETER;  Isaac  Wood- 
worth's  child,  ISAAC. 

June  26th.     Walter  Butler's  child  MARY. 

July  10th.  John  Mayhew's  child,  JOHN;  Joshua  Baker's 
child,  JAMES. 

July  17th.  Joseph  Trueman's  child,  BENJAMIN;  Thom-is 
Leach  Junr  his  child,  THOMAS. 

Aug.  14th.  Clement  Stratford's  child,  her  grandmother 
Horton  engaging  her  for  christian  education,  SARAH, 

Sept.  4th.  Joseph  Talman  was  baptized  JOSEPH,  and  his 
child,  SAMUEL;  Christopher  Darrow's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Sept.  11th.    Jonathan  Hill's  child,  JOHN. 

Sept.  18th.  Edward  Hallam  was  baptized,  EDWARD,  and 
his  child,  JOHN;  Alexander  Baker's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Sept.  25th.     The  widow  Mary  Pendal's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Oct.  2d.     George  Plumbe's  child,  ANNA. 

Nov.  6th.     John  Wyat's  child,  JOHN. 

Nov.  20th.  Esther  Updike  was  baptized,  ESTHER;  Ebenezer 
Way's  child,  NATHANIEL. 

Dec.  4th.     Peter  Hackley's  child,  MARSHAL. 

Dec.  11th.     Joshua  Raymond  was  baptized,  JOSHUA;  Eliza- 


478       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

beth  Rogers,  wife  of  William  Rogers,  and  her  child  JORDAN?, 
William  Holt's  child,  KATHERINE. 

Dec.  25th.     Hezekiah  Newcomb  was  baptized,  HEZEKIAH. 

Jan.  8th.     [1716  N.  S.]     My  own  child,  THOMAS. 

Jan.  22d.     David  Minard  was  baptized,  DAVID. 

Feb.  5th.  Timothy  Green's  child,  THOMAS;  Walter  Butler's 
child,  THOMAS. 

March  4th.     Nathaniel  Holt's  child,   NATHANIEL. 

March  11th.     Thomas  Bebe  was  baptized,  THOMAS. 

1716. 

March  25th.     Joshua  Appleton's  child,  JOSHUA. 

April  15th.  Daniel  Leister's  child,  JOSHUA;  Thomas  Doug- 
lass's child,  MARY. 

April  22d.  Mr.  John  Winthrop's  child,  JOHN;  Oliver  Man- 
waring's  child,  HANNAH. 

April  29th.     David  Richard's  child,  MARTHA. 

May  6th.  Lydia  Buttolph  wife  of  George  Buttolph  her  child, 
LYDIA. 

June  3d.  Joshua  Mores  child,  MARY;  John  Vibber's  child,. 
MERCY. 

June  17th.  John  More's  child,  ASA;  Isaac  Woodworth's 
child,  ASA. 

June  24th.  Jonathan  Fanning  and  his  wife  had  yr  child, 
ELIZABTH;  Samuel  Daniels  and  his  wife  yr  child,  GRACE. 

July  22d.  Henry  Brooks's  child,  JOSIAH;  Thomas  Butler's 
child,  THOMAS. 

Aug.  5th.     John  Emms's  child  SAMUEL. 

Aug.  12th.    Joshua  Hemstead's  child,  MARY. 

Sept.  2d.  Andrew  Palms's  child,  EDWARD;  George  But- 
tolph's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Sept.  9th.    Daniel  Way's  child,  SARAH. 

Oct.  7th.     Richard  Atwel's  child,  JOANNA. 

Oct.  21st.  Benjamin  Bebe's  child,  CLEMENT;  Daniel  Shap- 
ley's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Oct.  28th.     John  Wade's  children  THOMAS,  DUREN. 

Nov.  4th.    John  Pyke's  child,  MARY. 


BAPTISMS.  479 

Nov.  18th.     Joseph  Minor  Junr  his  child,  JESSE. 

Dec.  30th.  Richard  Christophers  Junr  his  child,  MARY; 
William  Holt's  child,  SARAH. 

Jan.  6th,  [1717  N.  S.]  Benjamin  Star's  child,  WILLIAM; 
William  Rogers's  child,  JEREMIAH. 

Jan.   20th.     David  Crocker  was  baptized,   DAVID;  Jeremiah 

Wilson's  child,  TABITHA. 

1717. 

March.    Jonathan  Hill's  child,  RUTH. 

April  14th.  Christopher  Darrow's  child,  LEMUEL;  David 
Culver's  children,  twins,  MARY,  MARTHA. 

April  21st.     Thomas  Leach  senior  his  child,  JONATHAN. 

May  12th.     Thomas  Willee's  child,  WILLIAM, 

June  2d.     Samuel  Fosdyke  his   child,   JAMES. 

June  30th.  James  Rogers's  child,  NEHEMIAH;  William 
Minor's  child,  ELIHU. 

Aug.  11th.     My  own  child,  SAMUEL. 

Sept.  1st.  Hannah  Andross  was  baptized,  HANNAH;  Mr. 
John  Gardiner's  child,  SARAH;  Richard  Douglass's  child, 
MARGARET. 

Sept.  15th.  Daniel  Leister's  child,  EZEKIEL;  William  Doug- 
lass's child,  JONATHAN. 

Sept.  22d.     Joshua  More's  child,   RUTH. 

Oct.  6th.  Alexander  Baker's  child,  PEMBERTON;  John 
Savel  his  child,  SARAH. 

Oct.  13th.     Christopher  Christopher's  child,  CHRISTOPHER. 

Oct.  20th.     John  Mayhew's  child,  THOMAS. 

Oct.  27th.  Joseph  Trueman's  child,  DANIEL;  Joseph  Tal- 
man's  child,  JOANNA. 

Nov.  3d.    Jonathan  Panning's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Nov.  10th.     George  Plombe's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Dec.  29th.     Joshua  Appleton's  child,  MARY. 

Jan.  26th,  [1718  N.  S.]  Mr.  John  Winthrop's  child,  MAR- 
GARET; Jonathan  Avery  of  Groton  his  child,  ABEL. 

Feb.  2d.  At  Groton.  Nehemiah  Smith's  child,  ANNA; 
James  Packer's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

Feb.  9th.    William  Robins's  child,  DAVID. 


480       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

March  2d.     Ebenezer  Way's  child,  MARY. 
March  16th.     Samuel   Daniel's   child,    SARAH. 

1718. 

March  30th.     Richard  Atwel's  child,  JOHN. 

April  13th.  Elizabeth  Leister  wife  of  Benjamin  Leister  was 
baptized,  ELIZABETH;  Edward  Hallam's  child,  NICHOLAS. 

May  18th.     Jonathan  Roff's  child,  MARY. 

June  1st.     Walter  Butler's  child,  WALTER. 

June  8th.  Priscilla  Burchan  was  baptized,  PRISCILLA; 
•Joshua  Baker's  child,  ANN;  John  Vibber's  child,  WILLIAM. 

June  29th.  Clement  Minor's  child,  GRACE;  Samuel  Avery's 
children    HANNAH,  THOMAS;  John  Adams  his  child,  JOHN. 

July  20th.    Joseph  Harris's  child,  DANIEL. 

July  27th.  Peter  Mason's  children,  PETER,  ABIGAIL; 
Thomas  Leach  Junr  his  child,  JOHN. 

Aug.  10th.  Jacob  Bacon's  child,  ANNA;  Thomas  Butler's 
child,  GRACE. 

Aug.  17th.  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Dart  yr  child,  ELIZA- 
BETH. 

Aug.  31st.  Jonas  Hambleton's  children  MARY,  ELIZA- 
BETH; John  Hobart's  child,  REBECKAH;  Daniel  Way's  child, 
DANIEL. 

Oct.   5th.     Oliver  Manwaring's  child,   SARAH. 

Nov.   2d.     William  Robin's  child,  MARY. 

Dec.  28th.     George  Richard's  child,  JOHN. 

Jan.  4th,  [1719  N.  S.]  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Archibald  Camp- 
bel  her  child,  ELIZABETH. 

March  1st.  Capt.  Christopher  Christopher's  child,  JOHN; 
William  Holt's  child,  JOHN. 

March   8th.     Daniel   Shapley's   child,    DANIEL. 

1719. 

April  5th.     Patience  Chappel  was  baptized,  PATIENCE. 

May  3d.  Kinsley  Comstock  and  Mary  Comstock,  were  bap- 
tized, KINSLEY,  MARY;  Lydia  and  Abigail  Allen  were  bap- 
tized,  LYDIA,    ABIGAIL;   Kinsley   Comstock's   child,   MARY; 


BAPTISMS.  481 

Edward  Stebbins's  child,  DANIEL;  Henry  Brooks's  child, 
ANN;  Thomas  Pember's  child,  MARY. 

May   10th.     Jeremiah   Wilson's   child,   JUDITH. 

May  17th.     Daniel  Comstock's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

May  24th.     Timothy  Green's  child,  JOHN. 

June  7th.  Mary  Daniels  wife  of  Jonathan  Daniels  her  child, 
WILLIAM. 

June  14th.     Thomas  Wille's  child,  ANN. 

June  28th.     Elizabeth  Grossman  was  baptized,  ELIZABETH. 

July  5th.     Thomas  Douglass's  child,  STEVEN. 

Aug,  23d.     Mr.  Jeremiah  Miller  his  child,  JEREMIAH. 

Sept.  20th.  Ann  Waterhouse  was  baptized,  ANN;  Joshua 
Appleton's  child,  JANE. 

Sept.  27th.     Thomas  Leach's  child  ABIGAIL. 

Oct.  11th.  Peter  Hackley's  child,  JOHN;  Christopher  Dar- 
row's  child,   ELIZABETH. 

Nov.  1st.     John  Adams's  child  SAMUEL. 

Nov.  15th.     William  Rogers's  child,  PETER. 

Dec.  6th.     Charles  Campbel's  child,  JANE. 

Dec.  13th.     Richard  Christophers  Junr  his  child,  SARAH. 

Dec.  20th.  George  Plombe's  child,  SARAH;  George  But- 
tolph's  child,  ANN. 

Jan.  3d,  [1720  N.  S.]     Samuel  Bill's  child,  EPHRAIM. 

[Jan.]  24th.     Mr.  John  Winthrop's  child,  JOHN  STILL. 

1720. 

March  13th.     Capt.  Christopher  Christophers  child,  SARAH. 

April  10th.  Mr.  John  Gardiner's  child  JOHN;  Daniel  Shap- 
ley's  child,  MARY. 

May  1st.  Richard  Douglass's  child,  RICHARD;  John  Coyt 
Junr  had  his  child  baptized,  JOHN;  John  Vibber's  child, 
NATHANIEL. 

May  8th.     Joshua  Raymond's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

May  15th.  Jonas  Hambleton's  child,  JAMES;  Joseph  Minor's 
child,  ELIZABETH;  Ebenezer  Way's  child,  WILLIAM. 

May  22d.  Samuel  Avery's  child,  ANN;  Daniel  Way's  child, 
SAMUEL. 


482      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

May  29th.    William  Douglass's  child,  ANN. 

June  5th.  James  Rogers's  child,  HANNAH;  Samuel  Dan- 
iels's child,  ELIZABETH. 

June  12th.  Samuel  Atwells  children  STEPHEN,  HANNAH, 
MARY,  ELIZABETH,  EUNICE,  JOHN;  Robert  Potter's  twin 
children,  ESTHER,  ANN. 

July  3d.  Jonathan  Rofl's  child,  JONATHAN;  Daniel  Hall's 
child,  ELIZABETH;  John  Savel's  twin  children,  HANNAH, 
MARY. 

July  10th.     Walter  Butler's  child,  JANE. 

July  17th.  Sarah  Merril  was  baptized,  SARAH;  David  Cul- 
ver's child,  GRACE;  Moses  Lewis's  child,  JOHN. 

July  24th.  Alexander  Stuart's  child,  SAMUEL;  Ebenezer 
Fox's  child,  DAVID. 

Aug.  14th.     George  Richards' s  child,  GEORGE. 

Aug.  21st.  Samuel  and  Kezia  Hough,  she  was  baptized, 
KEZIA,  and  yy  had  yr  child  baptized,  JEMIMA;  Benjamin 
Sweetser's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Aug.  28th.     Thomas  Butler's  child,  JAMES. 

Sept.  4th.     Samuel  Comstock's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Sept.  nth.  Andrew  Palms's  child,  ANDREW;  John  Nobles 
was  baptized,  JOHN,  and  his  children,  MARY,  SARAH,  JOHN. 

Oct.  2d.     Kinsley  Comstock's  child,  RACHEL. 

Oct.  23d.     Jonathan  Daniels's  child,  JOANNA. 

Nov.  6th.  Margaret  Young  had  her  child  baptized,  WIL- 
LIAM. 

Dec.  4th.  Rachel  an  Indian  servant  of  the  widow  Prentiss 
was  baptized,  RACHEL,  and  her  child,  DIDO. 

Dec.   25th.     Edward   Macgonnel's   child,   ROBERT. 

Feb.  5th,  [1721  N.  S.]  John  Campbel  had  his  child  baptized, 
JANE. 

Feb.  26th.    My  own  child  LYDIA. 

March     12th.    Peter     Mason's     child,     ALITHEA;     William 

Young's   child,   JOHN. 

1721. 

March  26th.  Daniel  Leister's  child,  ANN;  William  Holt's 
child,  JAMES;  William  Dixon's  child,  GRACE. 


BAPTISMS.  483 

April  23d.  Sarah  Waterhouse  was  baptized,  SARAH;  Jona- 
than Fanning's  child,  THOMAS;  Ebenezer  Fox's  child,  EBEN- 
EZER. 

May  14th.     Jonathan  Beckwith  was  baptized,  JONATHAN. 

June  4th.     Ebenezer  Dennis's  children,  GEORGE,  DEBORAH. 

June  18th.     Thomas  Douglass  his  child,  NATHAN. 

June  25th.  Capt.  Christopher  Christophers's  child  LUCRE- 
TIA. 

July  16th.  Jonathan  Palmer  of  Stonington  his  child,  JONA- 
THAN; John  Fox  his  child,  MARY. 

July  23d.     Archibald  Campbel  his  child,  DANIEL. 

July  30th.  John  Preston  had  his  child  baptized,  JOHN; 
Oliver  Manwaring's  child,  JOHN;  Nathaniel  Otis's  child,  DOR- 
OTHY; Joshua  Appleton's  child,  ANN. 

Aug.  6th.  Thomas  Boham's  child  on  his  wife  her  accot. 
THOMAS. 

Aug.  13th.     Henry  Brooks's  child.  MARY. 

Aug.  20th.  Joseph  Talman's  child,  JOSEPH;  John  Clark  of 
Stonington  his  child,  TIMOTHY;  Joshua  More's  child,  HAN- 
NAH. 

Sept.  3d.    Edward  Hallam's  child,  EDWARD. 

Sept.  10th.  Rebeckah  Richards  had  her  child  baptized, 
THOMAS. 

Sept.  24th.  Elizabeth  Beckwith  and  Jonathan  Beckwith  had 
yr  children  baptized,  JONATHAN,  ELIZABETH,  HANNAH. 

Oct.  8th.  Mr.  John  Gardiner's  child,  JERUSHA;  Benjamin 
Star's  child,  ANN;  Christopher  Darrow's  child,  JEDIDIAH. 

Oct.  22d.    William  Rogers's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Nov.  12th.     John  More's  child,  MARTHA. 

Nov.  19th.     John  Adams's  child,  JOHN. 

Dec.  31st.     Joshua  Raymond's  child,  MERCY. 

Jan.  7th,   [1722  N.  S.]     Daniel  Way's  child,  DANIEL. 

Feb.  4th.     Daniel  Hall's  child,  DANIEL. 

Feb.  25th.  Philip  Want's  child,  on  ye  accot  of  his  "wife^ 
WILLIAM. 

March  11th.    Abigail  Wyat's  child,  EBENEZER. 


484      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

1722. 

March.  25th.  Jonathan  Lattimore  and  his  wife  had  their 
child  baptized,  ANN;  George  Buttolph's  child,  GEORGE. 

Apr  1st.    Joseph  Minor's  child  HANNAH, 

April  8th.  Ann  Clark  was  baptized  ANN;  Mr.  Jeremiah 
Miller's  cMld  baptized  by  Mr.  Hillhouse,  MARY. 

May  6th.     Thomas  Fosdyke's  child,  ESTHER. 

May  13th.  Jemima  Minor,  wife  of  Joseph  Minor  was  bap- 
tized, JEMIMA;  William  Minor's  child,  ELIHU. 

May  20th.  John  Plombe  Junr  and  his  wife  had  yr  child 
baptized,  JOHN. 

June  3d.  George  Plombe's  child,  ELIZABETH;  William 
Holt's  child,  WILLIAM. 

June  10th.  James  Rogers's  child,  STEPHEN;  Samuel 
Hough's  child,   ANN. 

July  1st.  John  Hough  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized, 
SARAH;  Robt.  Gollers  child,  ANN. 

July  8th.  Timothy  Green's  child,  MARY;  Eleazer  Bishop 
and  his  wife  had  their  children  baptized,  PETER,  JOHN, 
SAMUEL,  CLEMENT,  MARY,  SARAH. 

July  15th.  John  Coit  Junr  his  child,  RICHARD;  Edward 
Robinson's  child,  JOHN. 

Aug.  5th.     Jonathan  Roff's  child,  JANE. 

Aug.  12th.     John  Savel's  child,  BETHIAH. 

Aug.  26th.  Mr.  John  Winthrop's  child,  BAZIL;  Walter  But- 
ler's child,  KATHERINE. 

Sept.   2d.     Daniel  Shapley's  child,   JOHN. 

Sept.  9th.    Joseph  Calkins's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Sept.  16th.     Ebenezer  Way's  child,  ANN. 

Sept.  23d.     George  Smith's  child,  MARGARET. 

Dec.  2d.  Richard  Christophers  Junr  his  child,  JOSEPH; 
Edward  Stebbins's  child,  MARY. 

Dec.  16th.     Ebenezer  Dennis's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Jan.  20th,  [1723  N.  S.]     Willm  Dixon's  child,  JOHN. 

Feb.  3d.     John  Preston's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Feb.  17th.     Edward  Macgonnal's  child,  ISABEL. 

March  10th.     Richard  Douglass's  child,  SAMUEL. 


BAPTISMS.  485 

1723. 

March  31st.     Ebenezer  Fox's  child,  ZEPHANIAH. 

April  7th.     William  Rogers's  child,  WILLIAM. 

April  14th.  Thomas  Manwaring  had  his  child  baptized, 
ELIZABETH;  Jonathan  Daniels's  child,  BENAJAH. 

May  19th.     John  Adams's  child,  JANE. 

May  26th.     Edward  Robinson's  child,  WILSON. 

June  2d.  Thomas  Boham's  child,  JOHN;  Daniel  Lester's 
child,  HANNAH;  David  Minard's  child,  DAVID. 

June  9th.     Christopher  Stebbins's  child,  LYDIA. 

June  23d.  Christopher  Christophers  Esq,  his  child,  LYDIA; 
Samuel  Chapman  Junr  his  child,  JOSEPH. 

July  14th.  Christopher  Darrow's  child,  ICHABOD;  Richard 
Atwel's  child,  SAMUEL. 

July  21st.     Joshua  Appleton's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

July  28th.  Clemt  Minor  Junr  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  bap- 
tized, LUCY. 

Aug.  4th.  Eleazer  Bishop's  child,  NICHOLAS;  Archibald 
Campbell's  child,  JAMES. 

Aug.  nth.     Thomas  Butler's  child,  KATHERINE. 

Aug.  18th.  Baptized  in  the  North  Parish,  Nathaniel  Otis's 
child,  DESIRE;  Jonathan  Wickwire's  child,  ELIZABETH; 
James  Brown's  child,  JONATHAN;  Alexander  Baker's  chil- 
dren, JOSEPH,  SARAH. 

Aug.  25th.    David  Culver's  children,  twins,  WILLIAM,  ANN. 

Sept.  1st.     Joseph  Minor  Junr's  child,  EZEKIE'L. 

Oct.  6th.     John  Gardiner's  child,  JERUSHA. 

Oct  13th.  Philip  Want's  child,  MARY;  Moses  Lewis's  child, 
WILLIAM. 

Nov.  10th.     Robert  Goller's  child,  JOHN. 

Dec.  15th.     John  Plombe  Junr  his  child,  HANNAH;  Jonathan 

Tinker's  child  MARY. 

Dec.  29th.  Joshua  Raymond's  child,  JOSHUA;  Walter  But- 
ler's child,  JOHN. 

1724. 

April  5th.     George  Richard's  child,  MARY. 
April  12th.    Joseph  Talman's  child,  JOHN. 


486      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

April  19th,  Oliver  Manwaring's  child,  ANN;  James  Rice 
and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  ANN. 

April  26th.    Bbenezer  Way's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

May  10th.    John  Hough's  child,  DAVID. 

June  7th.    Thomas  Douglass's  child,  JOHN. 

June  14th.  James  Rogers's  child,  MOSES;  Jonathan  Latti- 
more's  child,  JONATHAN. 

June  21st.    Jonathan  Daniels's  child,  MARY. 

June  28th.  James  Rogers  Junr  and  his  wife  had  yr  child 
baptized,  LEMUAL;  Mr.  Lambert's  child,  THOMAS;  William 
Dixon's  child,  WILLIAM;  Joseph  Calkins's  child,  WILLIAM; 
Joseph  Minor  (Willms  son)  his  child,  DANIEL. 

July  5th.  Nathaniel  Hempstead  had  his  child  baptized, 
JOSHUA. 

July  12th.    Stephen  Prentis  Junr  his  child,  ELIZABETH. 

July  19th.  Joseph  Waterhouse  was  baptized,  JOSEPH;  Dan- 
iel Way's  child,  PETER. 

July  26th.  David  Crocker's  chil'd,  MARY;  Ebenezer  Pierce 
and  his  wife  had  their  child  baptized,  WILLIAM. 

Sept.  6th.     William  Holt's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sept.  13th.     John  Adams's  child,  LYDIA. 

Sept.  20th.     John  Emms  Junr,  JOHN. 

Oct.  25th.     John  Savel's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Nov.  1st.     Jonas  Hambleton's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

Nov.  8th.    Nath  Howard's  children,  twins,  DAVID,  NATHAN. 

Dec.  6th.  Ebenezer  Dennis's  child,  ANN;  John  Coyt  Junr 
his  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Jan.  10th,  [1725  N.  S.]  Richard  Christophers  Junr  his  child, 
KATHERINE;  Edward  Robinson's  child,  MARY;  Walter  But- 
ler's child,  LYDIA;  Edward  Macgonnel's  child,  MARY. 

Jan.  24th.     Daniel  Apley  Junr  was  baptized,  DANIEL. 

Feb.  7th.  Ebenezer  Fox's  child,  JANE;  David  Minard's 
child,  ANDREW. 

March  7th.  Capt.  Christopher  Christopher's  child,  MAR- 
GARET. 

March  21st.  Daniel  Shapley's  child,  ABIGAIL;  Thomas 
Boham's  child,  SARAH. 


BAPTISMS.  487 

1725. 

April  18th.    Mr.  Jeremiah  Miller's  child,  GURDON. 

May  2d.    Thomas  Fosdyke's  child,  THOMAS. 

May  16th.     Robert  Fargo  was  baptized,  ROBERT. 

May  23d.     Samuel  Chapman  Junr  his  child,  NATHANIEL.. 

May  30th.  Moses  Fargo  Junr  was  baptized  MOSES;  Clement 
Miner  Junr  his  child,  LYDIA. 

July  11th.  Susanna  Trowbridge  had  her  children  baptized, 
TIMOTHY,  ABIGAIL. 

July  18th.     Daniel  Lester's  child,  GRACE. 

July  25th.  Thomas  Manwaring's  child,  THOMAS;  George 
Smith's  child,  GEORGE;  Samuel  Tinker  and  his  wife  had  yr 
children  baptized,  SAMUEL,  JUDAH;  Samuel  Hough's  child, 
ABIAH. 

Aug.  1st.    Ebenezer  Pierce's  child,  JABESH. 

Aug.  15th.     Thomas  Coyt's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sept.  5th.  Joshua  Plombe  had  his  child  baptized,  ELIZA- 
BETH; Thomas  Tailor  and  his  wife  had  their  child  baptized, 
WILLIAM. 

Sept.  12th.    William  Rogers's  child,  NATHANIEL. 

Sept.  19th.  Richard  Harris  and  his  wife  had  yr  children 
baptized,  THOMAS,  LUCY. 

Oct.  3d.  James  Rogers  Junr  his  child,  PETER;  Philip 
Want's  child,  MATTHEW. 

Oct.  31st.     Thomas  Butler's  child,  WALTER. 

Nov.  7th.  William  Holt's  child,  WILLIAM;  John  Adams's 
child,  SARAH. 

Nov.  14th.    Thomas  Pember's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Nov.  21st.  Daniel  Dishon  had  his  child  baptized,  DANIEL; 
Jonathan  Tinker's  child,  LOVE;  Archibald  Campbel's  child, 
SARAH. 

Nov.  28th.  Mary  Richards  the  wife  of  Jeremiah  Richards 
was  baptized,  MARY. 

Jan.  30th,  [1726  N.  S.]  John  Plombe  Junr  his  child,  ELIZ- 
ABETH; Joshua  Raymond's  child,  JOHN. 

Feb.  6th.  Richard  Christophers  Junr  his  child,  KATHER- 
INE. 


488      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

1726. 

March  13th,    Benjamin  Star's  child  JOHANNA. 

March  20th.  Edward  Hallam's  child,  AMOS;  Robert  Goller's 
child,  SAMUEL. 

March  27th.     Richard  Douglass's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

April  17th.    John  Hough's  child,  HANNAH. 

May  1st.    Daniel  Coyt's  child,  SARAH. 

May  15th.     Jonathan  Chester  had  his  child  baptized,  MARY. 

May  22d.     William  Leeds's  child,  MARY. 

May  29th.  John  Munroe  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized, 
JOHN. 

June  5th.  James  Rogers's  child,  AARON;  Thomas  Leach 
Junr  his  child,  STEPHEN. 

June    26th.     Eleazer    Bishop's    child,    ELEAZER;    Samuel 
Chapman  Junr's  child,  HEZEKIAH. 

July  10th.     Stephen  Prentis  Junr  his  child,  MARY. 

Aug.  7th.     Joseph  Minor  Junr  his  child,  THEODORE. 

Aug.  21st.  Clement  Leach  his  twin  children,  EPHRAIM, 
MANASSEH. 

Sept.  11th.     Jonathan  Lattimore's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Oct.  16th.  John  Coyt  Junr  his  child,  SAMUEL;  Ebenezer 
Way  his  child,  PHEBE. 

Oct.  23d.  Sarah  Fargo  was  baptized,  SARAH;  Her  grand- 
child also  under  her  care  was  baptized,  PATIENCE;  John 
Richards  had  his  child  baptized,  ANN. 

Oct.  30th.     Samuel  Raymond  was  baptized,  SAMUEL. 

Jan.  15th,  [1727  N.  S.]     George  Richards's  child,  LOVE. 

Feb.  12th.  Thomas  Fosdyke's  child,  KATHERINE;  Edward 
Robinson's  child,  ANN;  John  Adams's  child,  JOSEPH;  Nath- 
aniel Hempstead's  child,  NATHANIEL. 

Feb.  19th.     James  Rogers  Junr  his  child,  ICHABOD. 

1727. 

April  2d.  John  Griffin  and  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  JOHN; 
Daniel  Way's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Apr.  9th.  Peter  Harris's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Ebenezer 
Pierce's  child,  SAMUEL. 


BAPTISMS.  489 

April  23d.     David  Minard's  child,  SARAH. 

May  7th.  John  Plombe  Junr  his  child,  JOHN;  Jonathan 
Daniels's  child,  THANKFUL;  Ann  Gough,  had  her  children 
baptized,  ANN,  REBECKAH,  WILLIAM. 

May  14th.  John  Savel's  child,  ELIZABETH;  James  Rice's 
child,  THOMAS. 

May  28th.    Joseph  Calkins's  child,  DAVID. 

June  4th.  Samuel  Lattimore  had  his  child  baptized,  SAM- 
UEL. 

June  11th.  Daniel  Shapley's  child,  DANIEL;  Richard  Har- 
ris's child,  ESTHER. 

June  25th.     Ebenezer  Fox's  child,  NATHAN. 

Aug.  13th.  William  Holt's  child,  REBECKAH;  Samuel 
Gallop's  child,   ELIZABETH. 

Aug.  20th.     Samuel  Hough's  child,  DEBORAH. 

Oct.  29th.     Oliver  Manwaring's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Nov.  5th.     Joseph  Haden's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Nov.  12th.     Clemt  Minor  Junr  his  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Nov.  26th.    Jonathan  Tinker's  child,  RHODA. 

Dec  31st.     Daniel  Dishon's  child,  JOHN. 

1728. 

March  10th.    John  Adams's  child,  HANNAH. 

March  17th.  John  and  Ann  Colfax  had  yr  child  baptized,. 
GEORGE. 

March  24th.    Michael  Ewen's  child,  EDWARD. 

April  7th.    John  Monro's  child,  JOSHUA. 

April  28th.    Walter  Butler's  child,  JOHN. 

May  26th.    Jonathan  Daniels's  child,   EUNICE;. 

June  2d.    Joshua  More's  child,  WILLIAM. 

June  30th.  George  Buttolph's  child,  MARY;  Kinsley  Com- 
stock's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

July  7th.     David  Crocker's  child,  HANNAH. 

July  14th.  Ebenezer  Way's  child,  EBENEZER;  Witherel 
Denison's  child,  GRACE. 

July  21st.     Samuel  Chapman  Junr  his  child,  MARY. 

July  28th.  Ephraim  Jones's  children,  ELIZABETH,  MARY,. 
AMOS. 


490      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Aug.  4th.    Joseph  Prentis  his  child,  ESTHER. 

Aug.  11th.    Benjamin  Star's  child,  LUCY. 

Aug.  18th.  Samuel  Richards's  child,  LUCY;  Christopher 
Stebbins's  child,  JABEZ. 

Sept.  8th.  Joshua  Appleton's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Samuel 
Lattimore's  child,  ELIZABETH;  John  Griffin's  child,  EBEN- 
EZER. 

Sept.  29th.  Thomas  Butler's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Samuel 
Griffin's  child,  SAMUEL. 

Oct.  6th.     John  Coyt  Junr  his  child,  JOSEPH. 

Oct.  13th.  William  Hatch  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  bap- 
tized, WILLIAM. 

Oct.  20th.  Jonathan  Bebe  son  of  Joseph  Bebe  was  baptized 
JONATHAN;  Mehetabel  Bebe  had  other  children  also  baptized, 
STEPHEN,  DAVID,  ELISHA,  SIMEON,  ABIGAIL,  MEHETA- 
BEL; James  Rogers  Junr  his  child,  MARY. 

Nov.  3d.     Richard  Atwel's  children,  BENJAMIN,  PATIENCE. 

Dec.  1st.     Ebenezer  Pierce's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  29th.     Stephen  Prentis's  child,  STEPHEN. 

Jan  12th,  [1729  N.  S.]  George  Richards's  child,  NATHAN- 
IEL. 

Jan.  19th.     John  Hough's  child,  JABESH. 

Feb.   2d.     Jerusha  Morgan   was  baptized,   JERUSHA. 

1729. 

March  16th.  John  Morgan's  child,  SAMUEL;  Rachel's  grand- 
child, WILLIAM. 

April  6th.  William  Holt's  child,  WILLIAM;  Samuel  Tinker's 
child,  ELIZABETH. 

April  13th.     Thomas  Leach  Junr's  child  LYDIA. 

April  20th.  Jonathan  Lattimore's  child,  MARY;  Daniel  Den- 
ison  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  MARY. 

May  4th.     Elizabeth  Bennet  was  baptized,  ELIZABETH. 

May  11th.  Joseph  Minor's  child,  JEDEDIAH;  Clement 
Leach's  child,  ESTHER;  Philip  Want's  child,  ESTHER. 

May  18th.     Peter  Harris's  child,  PETER. 

June     15th.     Edward     Robinson's     child,     SARAH;     Joshua 


BAPTISMS.  491 

Plombe's  child,  JOSHUA;  he  also  engaged  for  ye  christian 
education  of  an  Apprentice  child,  ye  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Fox,  who  was  baptized,  SARAH. 

June  22d.    Daniel  Leister's  child,  ELIPHALET. 

July  13th.     Nathaniel  Hempstead's  child,  MARY. 

July  20th.     Clement  Minor  Junr  his  child,  Jonathan. 

Aug.  10th.     Thomas  Williams's  child,  MERCY. 

Aug.  17th.     Thomas  Pember's  child,  EZEKIEL.;  James  Rice's 
child,  JAMES. 

Sept.  14th.  Samuel  Davis's  child,  SALTONSTALL;  John 
Griffin's   child,    ELIZABETH. 

Sept.  21st.    Jonas  Hambleton's  child,  DANIEL. 

Oct.  12th.  John  Eames  Junr,  had  his  child  baptized,  DAN- 
IEL. 

Oct.  19th.    John  Savel's  child,  MEHETABEL. 

Oct.  26th.  Mr.  Jeremiah  Miller's  child,  JASON;  Jonathan 
Whipple  was  baptized,  JONATHAN,  and  his  child,  JONATHAN. 

Nov.  16th.  Samuel  Gallop's  child,  SAMUEL;  Daniel  Shap- 
ley's  child,  RUTH. 

Nov.  23d.     Richard  Harris's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  7th.     David  Minard's  child,  JAMES. 

Dec.  14th.    Michael  Ewen's  child,  MERCY. 

Jan  4th,   [1730  N.  S.].     Daniel  Dishon's  child,  HENRY. 

Jan.  25th.  John  Richards's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Elisha  Tur- 
ner and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  ARNOLD;  Witherel 

Denison's  child,  GEORGE. 

1730. 

March  8th.     Daniel  Way's  child,  LYDIA. 

March  15th.  Alan  Mullins  had  his  child  baptized,  KATH- 
ERINE;   Joseph  Merril's   child,    SARAH. 

March  22d.  William  Chapel,  son  of  Joseph  Chapel,  was  bap- 
tized, WILLIAM;  Samuel  Lattimore's  child,  NATHAN. 

Apr.  12th.     Thomas  Fosdyke's  child,   SARAH. 

May  10th.  Thomas  Stebbins's  child,  THANKFUL;  Thomas 
Minor's  child,  DARIUS;  John  Bennet's  child,  JOHN. 

May  17th.  Oliver  Manwaring's  child,  JABESH;  John  Colfax's 
child,  ANN;  John  Calkins's  child,  SAMUEL. 


492      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

May  24th.     William  Hatch's  child,  JOHN. 

May  31st.  Samuel  Leach  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized, 
ABIGAIL. 

June  7th.  John  Calkins's  children,  MARY,  ANN;  Joseph 
Haden's  child,  JOSEPH. 

June  14th.    Joseph  Prentis's  child,  ANN. 

June  28th.  Samuel  Richards's  child,  LYDIA;  James  Rogers's 
child,  GRACE. 

July  5th.     Thomas  Manwaring's  child,  PETER. 

July  19th.     John  Monro's  twins,  JONATHAN,  LYDIA. 

July  26th.     Ebenezer  Fox's  child,  ELKANAH. 

Aug.  2d.     Samuel  Chapman  Junr  his  child,  SAMUEL. 

Aug.    23d.     Peter   Plombe's   child,   PETER. 

Aug.  30th.  Robert  Eams  was  baptized  ROBERT;  Edward 
Robinson's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Jonathan  Daniels's  child, 
LOIS. 

Sept.  6th.     William  Hough's  child,  SUSANNA. 

Oct.  4th.     John  Ford's  child  upon  his  wife  her  accot,  MARY. 

Oct.   11th.     Christopher  Stebbins's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Oct.    18th.     Jonathan   Whipple's   child,   ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  6th.  Daniel  Denison's  child,  DANIEL;  Samuel  Griffin's 
child,  THOMAS;  Thomas  Tailor's  child,  MARY. 

Jan.  3d,  [1731  N.  S.]  Samuel  Davis's  child,  MARGARET; 
Jonathan  Tinker's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Jan.  24th.     Benjamin  Star's  child,  SARAH, 

Feb.   7th.     William   Holt's   child,   ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  14th.     Thomas  Trueman  Junr  was  baptized,  THOMAS. 

Feb.  21st.    Nicholas  Darrow,  was  baptized,  NICHOLAS. 

Feb.  28th.     John  Hough's  child,  JOHN. 

1731. 
March  14th.    Joshua  Appleton"s  child,  DANIEL. 
May  2d.     George  Denison's  child  GEORGE. 
May  30th.     Irene  Greaves  her  child,  MARY. 
June  6th.     James  Hadsall's  child,  PATIENCE. 
June  20th.     Samuel  Tinkers  child,  AMY. 
June  27th.    Joshua  Appleton  was  baptized,  JOSHUA;  Henry 
Harris  had  his  child  baptized,  HENRY. 


BAPTISMS.  493 

July  nth.  Mr.  Jeremiah  Miller's  child,  JASON;  Jane  Wood- 
bury haid  her  child  baptized,  JANE;  Saml  Jackson's  child, 
SARAH. 

July  18th.     Thomas  Butler's  child,  JOHN. 

Aug.  1st.  John  Plombe's  child,  NATHANIEL;  Philip  Want's 
child,  BENJAMIN. 

Aug.  8th.  Witheril  Denison's  child,  LYDIA;  Lydia  Bebee 
wife  of  Nathanl  Bebee  Junr  had  her  child  baptized,  JOSHUA. 

Aug.  22d.     Ebenezer  Way's  child,  JOHN. 

Aug.  29th.  Richard  Harris's  child,  MARY;  Samuel  Leach's 
child,  SARAH. 

Oct.  10th.  Joshua  Plombe's  child,  ABRAHAM;  Daniel 
Dishon's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Oct.  24th.  Jeremiah  Richards  had  his  children  baptized, 
JEREMIAH,  LUCRETIA. 

Oct.  31st.  John  Chapel  Junr  was  baptized,  JOHN;  he  had 
also  his  children  baptized,  SARAH,  JOHN,  JONATHAN;  Mar- 
garet Star,  wife  of  Jasper  Star,  had  her  child  baptized,  JAS- 
PER; James  Rice's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Jan.  30th,  [1732  N.  S.]     Ann  Trueman  was  baptized,  ANN. 

Feb.   6th.     Daniel  Shapley's   child,   BENJAMIN. 

Feb.  13th.     William  Hatch's  child,  ELIJAH. 

Feb.  27th.    Jonathan  Lattimore's  child,  ROBERT;  Alan  Mul- 

lins's  child,  ALEXANDER. 

1732. 

April  2d.  George  Buttolph  his  child,  ANN;  William  Hough's 
child,  WILLIAM;  William  Douglass's  child,  WILLIAM. 

April  9th.  John  Griffin's  child,  EBENEZER;  Clement 
Leach's  child,  GRACE;  Jeremiah  Richards's  child,  LYDIA. 

April  16th.     Joseph  Prentis's  child,  THOMAS. 

Apr.  23d.  John  Morgan's  child,  DEBORAH;  Edward  Hal- 
lam's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Samuel  Richards's  child,  SAMUEL. 

May  7th.     John  Braddick's  child,  JOHN. 

May  14th.     Daniel  Collins  had  his  child  baptized,  MARTHA. 

May  20th.     John  Rennet's  child,  MARY. 

May  21st.     Thomas  Minor's  child,  JERUSHA. 


494      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

June  4th.  Daniel  Lester's  child,  ESTHER;  Jonas  Hamble- 
ton's  child,  ANN. 

July  2d.  Daniel  Hubbard's  child,  RUSSEL;  Benjamin  Shap- 
ley's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

July  16th.  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  Howard  had  yr  child 
baptized,  ELIZABETH. 

Aug.  13th.    John  Earns  Junr  his  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Aug.  20th.     Sarah  Ryley  had  her  child  baptized,  MARY. 

Sept.  10th.  Ebenezer  Fox's  child,  HANNAH;  Peter  Harris's 
child,  MARY;  Joseph  Minor  Junr  his  child,  GRACE. 

Sept.  24th.  Joseph  Gardiner  had  his  child  baptized  JOHN; 
Saml  Jackson's  child,  SAMUEL;  Anna  Tongue  wife  of  John 
Tongue  had  her  younger  children  baptized,  JOSHUA,  LYDIA, 
TABITHA. 

Oct.  1st.     Thomas  Stebbins's  child,  RUTH. 

Nov.  5th.  Joseph  Calkins's  child,  LUCRETIA;  Peter 
Plombe's  child,  PATIENCE. 

Nov.  12th.  Abigail  Rogers,  daughter  of  Adam  Rogers,  was 
baptized,  ABIGAIL. 

Nov.  19th.  Elizabeth  Tongue  and  Anna  Follet,  daughters  of 
John  Tongue  were  baptized,  ELIZABETH,  ANNA;  She  had  also 
her  child  baptized  GEORGE;  Ann  Ford  had  her  child  baptized, 
JOHN. 

Nov.  26th.     Joseph  Waterhouse's  child,  NATHANIEL. 

Dec.  3d.  Edward  Robinson's  child,  EDWARD;  John  Savel's 
child,  JOHN. 

Jan.  7th,  [1733  N.  S.]  Lucy  Douglass  had  her  child  baptized, 
LUCY  . 

Feb.  18th.     Samuel  Lattimore's  child,  SAMUEL. 

Feb.  25th.  Daniel  Way's  child,  NATHANIEL;  Amos  Calk- 
ins's child,  ANN;  Sarah  Hobart  wife  of  Saml  Hobart  had  her 
child  baptized,  ELIZABETH. 

1733. 

March  18th.    Daniel  Shapley's  child,  JOSEPH;  Daniel  Den- 
ison's  child,  THOMAS. 
March  25th.    Joseph  Coit's  child,  JONATHAN. 


BAPTISMS.  495 

Apr.  15th.  Jonathan  Hambleton  and  his  wife  had  yr  child 
baptized,  BATHSHEBA. 

Apr.  29th.     John  Colfax's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

May  6th.  Robert  Douglass  and  his  wife  had  their  child 
baptized,  HANNAH. 

May  20th.  Clemt  Stebbins's  child,  JOHN;  Witherel  Deni- 
son's  child,  ESTHER. 

June  10th.  Christopher  Stebbins's  child,  EDWARD;  James 
ye  son  of  James  Rogers's  child,  MOSES;  Henry  Harris's  child 
JOHN. 

June  17th.     John  Hough's  child,  GEORGE. 

July  1st.  Saml  Tarbox  was  baptized,  SAMUEL;  he  had  his 
child  baptized,  JEMIMA;  Clemt  Minor's  child,  MARTHA. 

July  29th.  William  Holt's  child,  EBENEZER;  Jonathan 
Tinker's  child,  MARY;  James  Chapman  had  his  child  bap- 
tized, HANNAH.       - 

Aug.  19th.     Nathl  Bebe  Junr  and  his  wife  yr  child,  LYDIA. 

Aug.  26th.  John  Hempstead's  child,  JOHN;  James  Hodsal's 
child,  ELIZABETH;  Joseph  Merril's  child,  HANNAH. 

Sept.  2d.  Samuel  Tinker's  child,  WILLIAM;  Ephraim 
Jones's  child,  LUCY. 

Sept.  16th.  George  Denison's  child,  SARAH;  Philip  Want's 
child,  ANN;  Daniel  PoUe's  child,  JBRUSHA. 

Sept.  23d.  Jonathan  Daniels's  child,  JONATHAN;  Michael 
Ewen's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Sept.  30th.     Joshua  Plombe's  child,  AMY. 

Oct.  21st.  John  Richards's  child,  ABIGAIL;  Daniel  Dishon's 
child,  RICHARD. 

Nov.  4th.    David  Minard's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Dec.  2d.    Jothan  Whipple's  child,  TITUS. 

Dec.  16th.     Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  GURDON. 

Dec.  23d.  William  Morgan  was  baptized,  WILLIAM;  and  his 
child  WILLIAM. 

Dec.  30th.  Elizebath  Richar'ds  and  Grace  Edgcomb,  were 
baptized,  ELIZABETH,  GRACE. 

Jan.  6th,  [1734  N.  S.]    James  Chapman's  child,  JAMBS. 


496       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Jan.  20th.  John  Curtiss's  child,  JOHN;  William  Douglass's 
child,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  10th.  James  Rice's  child,  WILLIAM;  Joseph  Truman 
Junr's  child,  MARY;  David  Richard  Junr's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  24th.     Joshua  Appleton's  child,  RUTH. 

1734. 

March  24th.     Samuel  Lee's  child,  JANE. 

March  31st.  Nathaniel  Shaw's  child,  SARAH;  Daniel  Col- 
lins's  child,  MARY;  Ann  Ford's  child,  SARAH. 

April  14th.  Joseph  Prentis's  child,  JOSEPH;  John  Chapel 
Junr  his  child,  JOSHUA. 

April  21st.  Silas  Whipple  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized, 
SUSANNA;  Ebenezer  Howard's  child,  EBENEZER;  the  widow 
Mary  Daniels  had  her  children  baptized,  NOAH,  LUCRETIA. 

Apr.  28th.     William  Hatch's  child,  MARY. 

May  5th.     Ivory  Lucas's  child,  MARY. 

May  19th.     Thomas  Minor's  child,  NAAMAN. 

June  9th.     Nicholas  Darrow's  child,  SARAH. 

June  16th.  Samuel  Richards's  child  ELIJAH;  Samuel  Ho- 
bart's  child  SARAH. 

June  23d.  Daniel  Hubbard's  child,  LUCRETIA;  Israel  Rich- 
ards had  his  children  baptized,  MARY,  JEREMIAH;  David 
Crocker's  child,  DAVID. 

July   7th.     Thomas   Butler's   child,   JOSEPH. 

July  14th.  Samuel  Chapel  and  Lucy  Leach,  Elizabeth  Strick- 
land and  Mary  Strickland  were  baptized,  SAMUEL,  LUCY, 
ELIZABETH,  MARY;  Lucy  Leach  had  her  child  baptized, 
EUNICE. 

Aug.  4th.     Jonathan  Lattimore's  child,  GEORGE. 

Aug.  11th.     Samuel  Green's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Sept.  1st.  John  Monroe's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Daniel 
Leister's  child,  THOMAS;  Robert  Douglass's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sept.  8th.     Thomas  Stebbins's  child,  LUCY. 

Sept.  15th.  Joseph  Calkin's  child,  EZEKIEL;  Mr.  Witter's 
child,  ELIJAH. 

Sept.  22d.    Clement  Leach's  child,  HANNAH. 


BAPTISMS.  497 

Oct.  13th.     Jonathan  Gafdiner  had  his  child  baptized,  JOHN- 

Oct.  20th.  John  Hempstead's  child,  HANNAH;  Henry  Har- 
ris's child,  MARY. 

Oct.  27th.  Edward  Robinson's  child,  GEORGE;  Clement 
Stebbins'  child,  SARAH;  Jonathan  Hambleton's  child,  LUCY; 
Dago  a  servant  of  Mr.  Curtiss  his  child,  ISABEL. 

Nov.  7th.  Joseph  Harris  Junr  had  his  child  baptized,  ELIZ- 
ABETH; Mary  Daniels'  alias  Roland's  child,  DANIEL;  Samuel 
Leach's  child,  SUSANNA. 

Dec.  1st.  Mary  and  Bethiah  Chapel,  daughters  of  Joseph 
Chapel,  baptized,  MARY,  BETHIAH. 

Jan.  5th,  [1735  N.  S.]  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  RE- 
BECKAH. 

Jan.  12th.     Daniel  Denison's  child,  RACHEL. 

Feb.  9th.     Peter  Harris's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Feb.  16th.     Ruhamah  Turner's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  23d.     Mr.  Jer.  Millers  twins,  JOSEPH,  ROWLAND. 

1735. 

March  16th.     Richd  Harris's  child,  RICHARD. 

March  30th.     Peter  Plombe's  child,  GREEN. 

Apr.  13th.     Ebenezer  Way's  child,  LUCY. 

Apr.  20th.  Amos  Calkins's  child,  AMOS;  John  Crocker  and 
wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  JOHN. 

Apr.  27th.  Nathaniel  Lothrop's  children,  ZEBEDIAH, 
AZARIAH,  LUCY,  MARY;  Witherel  Denison's  child,  ESTHER. 

May  4th.     Samuel  Chapman  Junr  his  child,  DINAH. 

May  11th.    John  Griffin's  child,  MARY. 

June   2d.    Alan   Mullin's   child,   ABIGAIL. 

June  8th.     Daniel  Way's  child,  MARY. 

June  22d.     John  Perriman's  child,  SARAH. 

July  13th.  Ebenezer  Horton's  child,  ELIJAH;  Silas  Whip- 
ple's child,  MARY. 

Aug.  3d.  Jasper  Star's  child,  ROBERT;  James  Rogers's 
child,  EDMOND. 

Aug.  17th.  Daniel  Dishon's  child,  GRACE;  Jonathan 
Tinker's  child,  PETER;  John  Wyer's  child,  MARGARET. 


498      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Sept.  7th.  Esther  More  was  baptized,  ESTHER;  Samuel 
Green's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sept.  21st.  Daniel  Shapley's  child,  BENJAMIN;  William 
Rogers's  child,  TIMOTHY. 

Oct.  5th.    Jeremiah  Richard's  child,  ISRAEL. 

Oct.  19th.     Samuel  Tarbox's  child,  SAMUEL. 

Nov.  9th.     William  Douglass's  child,  MARGARET. 

Nov.  23d.     David  Richards  Junr  his  child,  ESTHER. 

Dec.   7th.     Nathaniel  Shaw's  child,  NATHANIEL. 

Dec.  14th.    Joseph  Waterhouse's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Dec.  21st.     John  Curtiss's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Jan.  4th,  [1736  N.  S.]  Susanna  Truman  wife  of  Thomas  was 
baptized,  SUSANNA;  and  her  ^on,  JONATHAN;  Joseph  Tru- 
man Junr  his  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Jan  11th.     Caleb  More's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Jan.  18th.  James  Chapman's  child,  RICHARD;  Joseph 
Follet's  child,  BARTLET. 

Jan.  25th.  Hannah  Manwaring  and  Elizabeth  Birch  were 
baptized,  HANNAH,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  15th.     Susannah  Trueman  was  baptized,  SUSANNAH. 

Feb.  22d.  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  KATHERINE;  Samuel 
Lee's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  27th.     James  Rice's  child,  MARY. 

Feb.  29th.     Samuel  Richards's  child,  JERUSHA. 

1736. 

March  21st.     Samuel  Tinker's  child,  HANNAH. 

Apr.  4th.  John  Crocker,  Wm's  son,  was  baptized,  JOHN; 
William  Tub's  child,  LYDIA. 

Apr.  11th.  Christopher  Stebbins's  child,  BETHIAH;  John 
Crocker's  child,  JOSEPH;  Dago's  child,  SARAH. 

Apr.  18th.  John  Colfax's  child,  JONATHAN;  Nicholas 
Harrow's  child,  PETER. 

May  2d.     Daniel  Potter's  child,  ZERUIAH. 

May  9th.  John  Chapel  Junrs  child,  HANNAH;  Michael 
Ewen's  child,  MICHAEL;  Daniel  Collins's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

May  23d.    Samuel  Chapman  Junr  his  child,  COMFORT. 


BAPTISMS.  499 

May  30th.  Ivory  Lucas's  child,  ABIGAIL;  Mr.  Ford's  child, 
ANN. 

June  6th.     Jonathan  Whipple's  child,  EUNICE. 

June  13th.     Thomas  Minor's  child,  CHRISTOPHER. 

June  20th.  Daniel  Hubbard's  child,  DANIEL;  Nathanael 
Holt  Junr's  child,  NATHANAEL. 

June  27th.  Elizabeth  Chapman  was  baptized,  ELIZABETH;, 
and  her  child,  BENJAMIN;  Joseph  Calkins's  child,  DANIEL. 

July  11th.     Wm.  Hatch's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

July  18th.  Nathanael  Coyt's  child,  SARAH;  Robert  Eam's 
child,  NATHAN. 

July  25th.  Henry  Harris's  child,  DANIEL;  Philip  Want's 
child,  PHILIP. 

Aug.  1st.     Joseph  Harris  Junr  his  child,  PHEBE. 

Aug.  8th.     Thomas  Stebbins's  child,  PHEBE. 

Aug.  15th.     John  Chappel,  son  of  John  was  baptized,  JOHN. 

Aug.  29th.     Ebenezer  Howard's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Sept.  5th.    Thomas  Pember's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Sept.  12th.  Sarah  Clark  was  baptized,  SARAH;  also  her 
child,  SARAH. 

Sept.  26th.  Abigail  Crocker  had  her  child  baptized,  JAMES; 
Hewson,  a  servant  of  Mr.  S.  Christophers,  was  baptized, 
HEWSON. 

Oct.  3d.  Richard  Harris's  child,  LUCRETIA;  John  Hemp- 
stead's child,  ABIGAIL. 

Nov.  7th.  Joseph  Prentis's  child,  JOHN;  Robert  Douglass's 
child,  SARAH;  Ephraim  Chapman's  child,  SARAH. 

Dec.  26th.  Hannah  Bebe  wife  of  Samuel  had  her  child  bap- 
tized, ESTHER. 

Jan.  4th,  [1737  N.  S.]     Amos  Calkins's  child,  NOAH. 

Jan.  9th.    John  Richards's  child,  JOHN. 

Feb.  6th.  Samuel  Lattimore's  child,,  AMOS;  William  Holt 
Junr's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Feb.  28th.    Daniel  Star's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

1737. 
Apr.  3d.     Samuel  Green's  child,  TIMOTHY. 
Apr.    24th.    Peter    Comstock's    child,    RANSFORD;    Daniel 
Comstock  Junr  his  child,  DANIEL. 


500      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

May  8th.     Daniel  Denison's  child,  SAMUEL. 

May  15th.  Jonathan  Lattimore's  child,  HENRY;  David 
Crocker's  child,  JONATHAN. 

May  29th.    Sarah  Lewis  was  baptized,  SARAH. 

June  12th.     Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,   WINTHROP. 

June  26th.  Samuel  Bishop  had  his  child  baptized,  SAMUEL; 
Jonathan  Hambleton's  child,  MARY. 

July  17th.     Peter  Plombe's  child,  LYDIA. 

July  24th.     Stately  Scranton's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Aug.  7th.     William  Douglass's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Aug.  14th.     John  Wyer's  child,  JOHN. 

Aug.  21st.     Joshua  Plombe's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Aug.  28th.  Sarah  Tinker,  daughter  of  John  was  baptized, 
SARAH;  Samuel  Richard's  child,  DANIEL;  Samuel  Leach's 
children,  SAMUEL,  ANN;  Caleb  More's  child,  JOHN;  Richard 
Leach's  child,  TEMPERANCE. 

Sept.  11th.     John  Eam's  child,  JOHN. 

Sept.  18th.     Clement  Minor's  child,  DANIEL. 

Sept.    25th.     Nathaniel    Shaw's    child,    JOSEPH. 

Oct.  2d.  Hannah,  wife  of  George  Chappel  was  baptized, 
HANNAH. 

Oct.  9th.  Ezekiel  Daniels  was  baptized,  EZEKIEL;  and  his 
child,  EZEKIEL;  Edwaiid  Robinson's  child,  NATHANIEL. 

Oct.  16th.  John  Dart  and  his  wife  had  yr  children  baptized, 
JOB,  EBENEZER. 

Oct.  23d.     James  Rogers's  child,  URIAH. 

Oct.  30.  Nathaniel  Bebee  was  baptized  NATHANIEL;  he 
had  his  child  also  baptized,  NATHANIEL. 

Nov.  6th.  Henry  Harris's  child,  EUNICE;  David  Richards 
Junr  his  child,  GRACE. 

Nov.  11th.     Allan  Mullin's  child,  MARY. 

Nov.  13th.  Jasper  Star's  child,  MARY;  Thomas  Calkins  and 
wife  had  yr  children  baptized,  JONATHAN,  SARAH. 

Nov.  20th.  David  Minard's  child,  LYDIA;  Joseph  Water- 
iiouse's  child,  SARAH. 

Dec.  4th.    John  Hill's  child,  on  his  wife's  accot,  JONATHAN. 


BAPTISMS.  501 

Dec.  11th.     Nathaniel  Holt  Junr  his  child,  NATHANIEL. 

Dec.  18th.     John  Curtiss's  child,  FREDRICK. 

Jan.  1st,  [1737  N.  S.]     Jonathan  Tinker's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Jan.  8th.     Samuel  Lee's  child,  THOMAS. 

Jan.  15th.     Daniel  Collins's  child,  DANIEL. 

Jan.  29th.  Titus  Hurlbut's  child,  GEORGE  BUTTOLPH; 
Katherine  Garret,  an  Indian,  was  baptized,  KATHERINB. 

Feb.  19th.     Ivory  Lucas's  child,  GRACE. 

Feb.  26th.  Deborah,  wife  of  Robert  Earns  was  baptized, 
DEBORAH;  Michael  Ewen's  child,  LYDIA;  Daniel  Star's  child^ 

BENJAMIN. 

1738. 

March  26th.     John  Prentis's  child,  MARY. 

Apr.  9th.  Samuel  Chapman  Junr  his  child,  JOHANNA^ 
Clemt  Stebbins's  child,  CHRISTOPHER;  Joseph  Truman  Junr 
his  child,  JOSEPH;  John  Griffin's  child,  PETER. 

Apr.  16th.  Joseph  Horton  was  baptized,  JOSEPH;  James 
Chapman's  child,  JOHN;  John  Crocker's  child,  MARY. 

Apr.  23d.     Jeremiah  Richards's  child,  NEHEMIAH. 

Apr.  30th.     Daniel  Hubbard's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

May  7th.     William  Holt's  child,  DANIEL. 

May  21st.     Joseph  Calkins's  child,  LYDIA. 

May  28th.     Daniel  Shapley's  child,   ADAM. 

June  4th.  John  Daniels,  son  of  John  Daniels  deceased  was 
baptized,  JOHN;  Mr.  More's  child,   ELIZABETH. 

June  25th.  James  Grant  was  baptized,  JAMES;  Silas  Whip- 
ple's child,  SILAS;  Robert  Eams's  child,  ROBERT. 

July  9th.  Stephen  Hempstead's  child,  THOMAS;  Sarah  Ry- 
ley's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Aug.  6th.     John  Richards  Esq.  his  child,  LOVE. 

Aug.  13th.  John  Chapel  Junr  his  child,  ANN;  Robert  Doug- 
lass's child,  SARAH;  Nicholas  Darrow's  child,  MARY. 

Aug.  20th.  Peter  Lattimore  and  his  wife  had  their  children 
baptized,  PETER,  HANNAH. 

Sept.  3d.     Thomas  Hawkins's  child,  EDWARD. 

Sept.    10th.    Gurdon   Saltonstall's   child,    DUDLEY;   Hannah 


502       LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Chappel,  deceased,  her  child,  JAMES;  Ezekiel  Daniel's  child, 
SAMUEL. 

Oct.  1st.    Nathaniel  Williams  was  baptized,  NATHANIEL. 

Oct.   8th.     Thomas   Minor's   child,   JERUSHA. 

Oct.  15th.     Thomas  Way's  child,  SARAH. 

Oct.  17th.    Joshua  Wheeler  was  baptized,  JOSHUA. 

Oct.  22d.    Joseph  Prentis  his  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Oct.  29th.  Phillis,  a  servant  of  mine,  was  baptized, 
PHILLIS;  there  were  also  servant  children  of  my  family  bap- 
tized as  ISHMAEL,  Phillis's  children  JAMES,  ZIBA,  SYL- 
VANUS. 

Nov.  5th.  James  Greenfield  was  baptized,  JAMES;  Abel 
More,  his  wife  was  baptized,  MARY;  Samuel  Williams's  wife 
engaged  for  ye  education  of  a  child  of  Hannah  Chappel  de- 
ceased, and  it  was  baptized,  PATIENCE;  John  Hempstead's 
child,  ABIGAIL;  William  Hatch's  child,  SAMUEL;  Jonathan 
Whipple's  child,  LUCY. 

Nov.  12th.  William  Manwaring's  child,  LUCY;  Samuel  Tar- 
box's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Nov.  19th.     Jesse  Minor's  child,  TURNER. 

Nov.  26th.     Samuel  Green's  child  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  3d.  Nathaniel  Coyt's  child,  NATHANIEL;  Naboth 
Graves's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  17th.    Thomas  Pierpont's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Dec.  22d.     Charles  Acourt's  child,  CHARLES. 

Jan.  14th,  [1739  N.  S.]  William  Beckwith  was  baptized, 
WILLIAM,  and  his  child,  JEDIDIAH. 

Feb.  18th.     Caleb  Douglass's  child,  REBECKAH. 

1739. 

March  18th.     Nathanl  Bebe's  child,  BOANERGES. 

March  25th.  Joshua  Plombe's  child,  RACHEL;  Philip 
Want's  child,  JOSEPH;  Timothy  Calkins's  child,  SAMUEL. 

March  26th.     The  widow  Mary  Dart  was  baptized,  MARY. 

April  8th.     Samuel  Bishop's  child,  ELEAZER. 

Apr.  15th.  Bathsheba  Brooks  wife  of  Josiah  Brooks  was 
baptized,   BATHSHEBA. 


BAPTISMS.  503 

April  17th.    Thomas  Stebbins's  child,  THOMAS. 

April  22d.  The  widow  Lucy  Harris,  was  baptized,  LUCY; 
also  her  child,  LUCRETIA;  Peter  Lattimore's  child,  LUCRE- 
TIA;  John  Dart's  child,  JOSHUA. 

Apr.  29th.  James  Camp  had  his  children  baptized,  SARAH, 
BATHINIA,  MARY,  LYDIA;  Daniel  Comstock  (widow's  son) 
his  child  WILLIAM;  Daniel  Star's  child,  JOSHUA;  Samuel 
Bill  Junr  had  his  child  baptized,  SAMUEL;  John  Rogers's 
child,  GEORGE;  Johannah  Atwel's  child,  BERIAH. 

May  6th.  Thomas  Pember's  child,  SAMUEL;  Daniel  Den- 
ison's  child,  HANNAH. 

May  13th.  Amos  Calkins's  child,  NOAH;  Stately  Scranton's 
child  STATELY. 

May  27th.     Ebenezer  Howard's  child,  SARAH. 

June  3d.  Elizabeth  More,  wife  of  Joshua  More  Junr  was 
baptized,  ELIZABETH,  and  her  children  ELIZABETH, 
LYDIA;  Jasper  Star's  child  BENJAMIN;  Peter  Comstock's 
child,  THOMAS;  Samuel  Leach's  child,  MARY;  Witheril  Den« 
ison's  child,  LUCY. 

June  10th.    John  Colfax's  child,  JOHN. 

June  17th.  Hannah  Chapel,  wife  of  George  Chapel,  was 
baptized,  HANNAH. 

June  24th.  Mary  Brooks,  wife  of  Samuel  Brooks  had  chil- 
dren baptized,  EZE'KIEL,  SAMUEL;  Susanna,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Waller  Junr,  was  baptized,  SUSANNA;  she  had  her 
child  baptized,  EUNICE;  Edey,  daughter  of  Samuel  Waller 
Junr  was  baptized,  EDEY. 

June  27th.     Samuel  Bebe's  child,  AZARIAH. 

July  8th.     Daniel  Minard's  child,  JABESH. 

July  15th.  Jonathan  Hambleton's  child,  JOHN;  John 
Crocker's  child,  CONSTANT. 

July  22d.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Joseph  Hurlbut,  had  her  child 
baptized,  SAMUEL. 

Aug.  5th.  James  Comstock  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  bap- 
tized, JASON;  Samuel  Richards's  child,  JABESH;  Ebenezer 
Way's  child,  HANNAH;  John  Wyer's  child,  ANN;  Henry  Har- 
ris's child,  LYDIA;  Martin  Clark's  child,  WILLIAM. 


504      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Aug.  26th.  William  Douglass's  child,  GEORGE;  William 
Holt  Junr  his  child,  JOSEPH. 

Sep.  2d.  Susanna,  wife  of  Alexander  Johnston,  was  bap- 
tized, SUSANNA;  Samuel  Lattimore's  child,  ANN;  Daniel 
Whittemore's  child,  MARY;  Allan  Mullins's  child,  ANNA. 

Sept.  9th.     Titus  Hurlbut's  child,  DANIEL. 

Sept.  30th.     Jonathan  Lattimore's  child,  DANIEL. 

Oct.  14th.  Ezekiel  Daniels  his  child,  ELIZABETH;  Josiah 
Brooks's  child,  JOSIAH. 

Oct.  21st.    John  Prentis's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Oct.  28th.  Rebeckah  Earns  was  baptized,  REBECKAH; 
Christopher  Stebbins's  child,  CHRISTOPHER;  Gideon  Com- 
stock's  child,  LYDIA;  Ephraim  Chapman's  child,  THOMAS. 

Nov.  4th.    Mr.  Ford's  child  JOHN. 

Nov.  nth.  John  Picket's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Mr.  Morgan's 
child,  MARY. 

Dec.  2d.  Daniel  Collins's  child,  PELL;  Joseph  Harris's 
child,  JOSEPH;  Joshua  More  Junr's  child,  LEMUEL. 

Dec.  9th.  George  Chappel's  child,  committed  to  ye  care  of 
Robt  Douglass  who  engaged  for  its  christian  education, 
WALTER. 

Dec.  23d.     Caleb  More's  child,  MARY. 

Dec.  30th.  Benjamin  Bebe  Junr  his  wife  was  baptized, 
JANE;  Joseph  Smith's  child,   SARAH. 

Jan.  6th,  [1740  N.  S.]     Ivory  Lucas's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Jan.  27th.     Joseph  Lathrop's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  10th.  Stephen  Hempstead's  child,  THOMAS;  Joseph 
Truman  Junr's  child,   SARAH. 

Feb.  24th.     Wm.  Beckwith's  child,  JEDIDIAH. 

1740. 

March  2d.  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  ANN;  Daniel  Hub- 
bard's child,  WILLIAM;  John  Tinker's  child,  DUREN. 

March  16th.     Nathaniel  Shaw's  child  , THOMAS. 

March  23d.  Samuel  Lee's  child,  EUNICE;  Jeremiah  Rich- 
ards's  child,  REBECKAH. 

April  13th.     Nicholas  Darrow's  child,  REBECKAH. 


BAPTISMS.  505 

Apr.  27th.     Samuel  Green's  child,  LUCY. 

June  1st.  Joseph  Hurlbut's  child,  SARAH;  John  Crocker's 
child,  MERCY;  Richard  Leach's  child,  RHODA. 

June  15th.     David  Richards  Junr  his  child,  DAVID. 

June  22d.    John  More's  child,  JOHN. 

June  29th.     Joseph  Waterhouse's  child,  ELIJAH. 

July  6th.     James  Chapman's  child,  MERCY. 

July  13th.     Benjamin   Billings's   child,   LUCRETIA. 

July  20th.     John  Wheeler  was  baptized,  JOHN. 

July  27th.  Thos  Minor's  child,  REBBCKAH;  Jesse  Minor's 
child,  ELIZABETH. 

Aug.   3d.     Peter  Plombe's  child,   LUCRETIA. 

Aug.  10th.     Thorns  Stebbins's  child  DEBORAH. 

Aug.   17th.     William  Hancock's  child,   SUSANNA. 

Aug.  31st.  Phebe  Amsberry,  wife  of  Jacob,  had  her  child 
baptized,  STEPHEN. 

Sept.  14th.  Nathaniel  Etheridge's  child,  JOHN;  Robert 
Douglass's  child,  ROBERT;  Mr.  Comstock's  child,  MARY. 

Sept.  21st.  Joseph  Calkins's  child,  JEDIDIAH;  John  Grif- 
fin's child,  JOSEPH. 

Sept.  28th.  John  Bishop's  child,  TIMOTHY;  Jemima  Dolli- 
ver,  a  free  Indian  woman,  was  baptized  JEMIMA,  and  her 
child,  WILLIAM. 

Oct.   5th.     William  Holt  Junr  his  child,   BENJAMIN. 

Oct.  26th.  Mercy  Bill  was  baptized,  MERCY;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Joseph  Bebe,  had  her  children  baptized,  PATIENCE, 
MERCY,  ELIZABETH,  THADDEUS;  Thomas  Way's  child 
JOHN. 

Nov.   2d.     Clement  Stebbins's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Nov.  16th.  William  Waterhouse  was  baptized,  WILLIAM; 
also  his  children  were  baptized,  THOMAS,  ANN,  LUCRETIA; 
also  his  grandchild,  RICHARD;  Nathaniel  Coyt's  child,  MARY. 

Nov.  23d.  John  Prentis's  child,  JOHN;  John  Chapel  Junr's 
child,  JOSEPH. 

Feb.  8th.     James  Rogers  James's  son's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  13th.     Daniel  Polley's  child,  sick  at  his  house,  DESIRE. 


506       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

1741. 

March  8th.    John  Rogers  was  baptized,  JOHN. 

March  15th.     William  Manwaring's  child,  DAVID. 

March  22d.     Daniel  Whittemore's  child,  EBENEZER. 

March  29th.     Joseph  Prentis's  child,  MERCY. 

Apr.  5th.  Caleb  Douglass's  child,  REBECKAH;  John  Rog- 
ers's child,  LYDIA. 

Apr.  12th.     Samuel  Bill  Junr's  child,  JOHN. 

Apr.  19th.  Patrick  Robinson's  child,  WILLIAM;  Jemima 
Dolliver's  child,  JEREMIAH. 

May  3d.  Lydia  Waterhouse,  was  baptized,  LYDIA;  Samuel 
Richards's  child,  LOVE. 

May  10th.  Ann,  daughter  of  John  Tinker,  was  baptized, 
ANN;  Henry  Harris's  child,  GRACE. 

May  17th.  Keturah  Waterhouse,  Sarah  Strickland,  Lucy 
Dart,  and  Lois,  a  negro  woman,  servant  to  James  Rogers 
Junr,  were  baptized,  KETURAH,  SARAH,  LUCY,  LOIS;  Wil- 
liam Hatch's  child,  DANIEL;  Samuel  Leach  his  child,  ELIZ- 
ABETH; Johanna  wife  of  Joshua  Bolles,  Hannah  daughter 
of  William  Harris,  Hannah  daughter  of  [name  illegible],  Han- 
nah daughter  of  Jonathan  Fox,  Alithea  and  Ann  daughters  of 
Peter  Chapman  were  baptized,  JOHANNA,  HANNAH,  HAN- 
NAH, HANNAH,  ALITHEA,  ANN. 

May  24th.  James  Camp's  child,  WILLIAM;  John  Wyer's 
child,   JEREMIAH. 

May  31st.  George  Chappel  Junr  was  baptized,  GEORGE; 
Jasper  Star's  child,  JAMES;  Silas  Whipple's  child,  DANIEL. 

June  7th.  The  widow  Milleson  Darrow  and  her  daughter 
Mary  Darrow  and  Grace  Morgan  wife  of  John  Morgan  Junr, 
were  baptized,  MILLESON,  MARY,  GRACE;  John  Morgan 
Junr  his  child,  JOHN;  Daniel  Policy's  child,  DANIEL;  Josiah 
Brooks's  child,  BENJAMIN;  Mr.  Hawkins's  child.  HANNAH. 

June  14th.  Joseph  son  of  Joseph  Bebe,  Jonathan  son  of 
Joseph  Chapel,  Jonathan  son  of  widow  Darrow,  Elijah  son  of 
John  Smith,  Thomas  Fargo  son  of  Elizabeth  Bebe,  Thomas 
son  of  Thomas  Grant,  Sarah  Fargo  daughter  of  Elizabeth 
Bebe,  Lydia  daughter  of  John  Smith,  were  baptized,  JOSEPH, 


BAPTISMS.  507 

JONATHAN,  JONATHAN,  ELIJAH,  THOMAS,  THOMAS, 
SARAH,  LYDIA;  John  Plombe's  child,  MARY;  John  Dart's 
child,  MARY;  Benjamin  Bebe  Junr  his  child,  SARAH;  John 
Harris  had  his  children  baptized,  ELIZABETH,  JOHANNA, 
GRACE;  Jonathan  Culver's  child,  EDWARD. 

June  21st.  Stephen,  son  of  Comfort  Chappel,  Edward,  son 
of  John  Tinker,  Jedediah  and  Nehemiah,  sons  of  ye  widow 
Daniels,  Samuel,  son  of  Samuel  Strickland,  Peter,  son  of 
Thomas  Strickland,  Anthony  and  Jeremiah  Whipple,  Priscilla, 
wife  of  James  Hambleton,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Strickland,  Annie  Lucretia,  daughter  of  Samuel  Strickland, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Thomas  Williams,  Margaret  daughter  of 
Thomas  Chapel,  were  baptized,  STEPHEN,  EDWARD,  JED- 
EDIAH, NEHEMIAH,  SAMUEL,  PETER,  ANTHONY,  JER- 
EMIAH, PRISCILLA,  MARGARET,  ANNIE  LUCRETIA, 
SARAH,  MARGARET;  John  and  Sarah  Brooks  had  yr  children 
baptized,  JOHN,  ISAAC,  JABEZ,  SARAH,  ANN;  Capt  Joseph 
Coyt's  child,  LYDIA;  Daniel  Comstock  Junr's  child  ELIZA- 
BETH; Benjamin  Beebe  Junr's  children,  MERCY,  LUCY, 
BENJAMIN;  Edward  Tinker's  child,  LUCY. 

June  28th.  Robert  Waterhouse  was  baptized,  ROBERT; 
and  his  children,  ROBERT,  SARAH,  SAMUEL,  HANNAH, 
ELIZABETH;  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Bebee  Junr 
was  baptized,  ELIZABETH;  William,  son  of  Timothy  Lester 
was  baptized,  WILLIAM;  Mary  daughter  of  Jonathan  Daton 
was  baptized  MARY;  Samuel  Chapman's  child,  BETHIAH; 
David  and  his  wife  Elleph  Culver  had  yr  children  baptized, 
DAVID,  GRACE,  MARY,  JOHN,  JOSEPH;  Hagar,  wife  of 
Dago,  a  servant  of  John  Curtice,  was  baptized,  HAGAR. 

July  5th.  Richard,  son  of  Joseph  Chapel,  Mary,  daughter 
of  Wm  Crocker,  Mary,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Daton,  baptized, 
KICHARD,   MARY,  MARY. 

July  12th.  Zaccheus  and  his  wife  Sarah  Wheeler,  Ruth 
Brown,  and  Jemima  Rogers,  and  Beulah  a  negro  free  woman, 
were  baptized,  ZACCHEUS,  SARAH,  RUTH,  JEMIMA, 
BEULAH;  Zaccheus  Wheeler's  child,  REBECKAH;  Benjamin 
Bebee  Junr  his  child,  JANE. 


508      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

July  19th.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Samuel  Strickland,  was  bap- 
tized, ELIZABETH;  Hanah  Brooks  wife  of  Comfort,  was  bap- 
tized HANNAH,  and  their  child,  NEHEMIAH;  Timothy  and 
Elizabeth  Brooks  had  yr  children  baptized,  TIMOTHY,  GUY, 
ELIZABETH,  AMY,  JERUSHA;  James  Lamphire's  child, 
SARAH;  Joseph  Harris's  child,  MARY. 

July  26th.  Grace  Strickland,  Mary  Perkins,  Margaret  Holt, 
were  baptized,  GRACE,  MARY,  MARGARET;  Grace  Strick- 
land's child,  MARY;  Clement  and  Mary  Bebe  had  yr  children 
baptized,  AMY,  ANNA;  Mr.  Brooks's  children,  NOAH,  RUTH; 
Caleb  More's  child,  DAVID;  Comfort  Brooks's  children, 
WILLIAM,  LUCRETIA. 

Aug.  2d.  Jerusha  Grant  was  baptized,  JERUSHA;  Abel 
More's  children,  she  joined  our  communion  this  day,  ABEL, 
ELIZABETH,  SIMON;  the  widow  Hannah  Daniels  had  her 
children  baptized,  PHEBE,  TIMOTHY;  Daniel  Denison's  child, 
PHEBE. 

Aug.  9th.  Abraham,  a  negro  servant  of  Samuel  Lattimore, 
was  baptized,  ABRAHAM. 

Aug.  23d.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Morgan,  was  bap- 
tized, ELIZABETH,  and  her  children,  ESTHER,  ELIZABETH, 
JONATHAN,  ELIJAH;  John  Tinker  Junr  was  baptized,  JOHN, 
and  his  child,  SARAH;  Sarah,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Daniels, 
was  baptized,  SARAH;  Elleph,  daughter  of  Comfort  Chappel, 
was  baptized,  ELLEPH. 

Aug.  30th.  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  ROSE  WELL;  Eliz- 
abeth Chappel  was  baptized,  ELIZABETH,  and  her  children 
ZACCHEUS,  ASA. 

Sept.  6th.  Elisheba  daughter  of  Samuel  Wright,  a  mulatto 
woman,  was  baptized,  ELISHEBA. 

Sept.  13th.  Benjamin  Beebe  Junr  his  child  REBECKAH; 
Richard  Leach's  child,  WILLIAM;  Thomas  Butler  Junr  his 
child,  LYDIA. 

Sept.  27th.  Amos  Calkins's  child,  HANNAH;  Ephraim 
Wheeler's  child,  SAMUEL;  Nathaniel  Etheridge's  child, 
JAMES. 

Oct.   4th.     Anthony  Whipple's   child,   ANTHONY. 


BAPTISMS.  509 

Oct.  11th.    Jonathan  Hambleton's  child,  AMOS. 

Oct.  18th.  Bedgood  Bulfinch's  child,  JOHN;  The  widow 
Mary   Manwaring's    grandchild,    VALENTINE. 

Nov.  1st.     John  Hempstead's  child,  JOHN. 

Nov.  8th.     Robert  Eams's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Nov.  15th.    James  Cleland's  child,  THOMAS. 

Nov.  22d.     Jonathan  Whipple's  child,  TITUS. 

Dec.  6th.     William  Holt  Junr's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  13th.  Joseph  Lathrop's  child,  JOSEPH;  Daniel  Col- 
lins's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Dec.  20th.  Titus  Hurlbut's  child,  LYDIA;  Jonathan  Culver's 
child,  JONATHAN;  William  Hancock's  child  SARAH. 

Dec.  27th.  John  Prentis's  child,  SARAH;  Daniel  Star's  child, 
DANIEL. 

Jan.  10th,  [1742  N.  S.]  Peter  Lattimore's  child,  JOHN;  Na- 
thaniel Holt's  child,  PHEBE. 

Jan.  24th.     Nicholas  Darrow's  child,  JAMES. 

Jan.  26th.  James  Comstock's  child,  WILLIAM;  Zaccheus 
Wheeler's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

Feb.  3d.     Charles  Short's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  7th.  David  Gardiner's  child,  SAMUEL;  Ivory  Lucas's 
child,  LUCY. 

Feb.  21st.     Samuel  Green's  child,  ANN. 

Feb.  28th.  James  Chapman's  child,  EDWARD;  David  Rich- 
ards Junr's  child,  EDWARD. 

1742. 

March  7th.    William  Douglass's  child,  ABIAH. 

March  28th.  John  Tinker's  child,  JOHN;  Nathaniel  Beebe's 
child,  JOHN. 

April  18th.  David  Minard's  child,  STEPHEN;  Christopher 
Stebbins's  child,  ANN;  Samuel  Beebe's  child,  ANN. 

May  16th.  Stephen  Chappel's  child,  MARY;  Joseph  Calkins 
Junr  his  child,  RUFUS. 

May  23d.  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  Marvel,  had  their  children 
baptized,  THOMAS,  ABIGAIL,  JOHN,  HANNAH,  WILLIAM. 

May  30th.     Jesse  Minor's  child,  JANE. 


510        LATER  HISTORY   OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

June  6th.     Ebenezer  Howard's  child,  JOHN. 

June  13th.  John  Morgan  Junr  his  children,  GRACE,  ED- 
WARD, LUCY. 

June  20th.     Stephen  Hempstead's  child,  STEPHEN. 

June  27th.  Stately  Scranton's  child,  SARAH;  Nathaniel 
Shaw's  child,  DANIEL;  William  Beckwith's  child,  EZEKIEL. 

July  4th.  Thomas  Calkins's  child,  PEMBER;  two  negros 
were  baptized,  SAWNEY,  MINGO. 

July  18th.  Joseph  Calkins's  child,  ESTHER;  Samuel  Chap- 
man Junr  his  child,  REBECKAH. 

July  25th.  Anna,  daughter  of  Roger  Dart  was  baptized, 
ANNA. 

Aug.  1st.     Thomas  Way's  child,  SARAH. 

Aug.  8th.     Samuel  Bill  Junr  his  child,  MARY. 

Aug.  15th,  Jasper  Daniels's  children,  JAMES,  GRACE, 
ANN. 

Aug.  22d.     Joseph  Hurlbut's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Sept.  5th.     Samuel  Brooks's  child,  GEORGE. 

Sept.  12th.     David  Culver's  child,  DANIEL. 

Sept.  13th.     Charles  Acourt's  child,  JOHN. 

Sept.  19th.    John  Colfax's  child,  ANN. 

Oct.  10th.  Anna,  wife  of  Hill  Chandley,  was  baptized,  ANNA., 
and  her  children,  RHODA,  ANNA;  William  Crocker's  child, 
FREEMAN. 

Oct.  24th.     Daniel  Truman's  child,  DEBORAH. 

Oct.  31st.  Benjamin  Uncas,  sachem  of  ye  Mohegan  Indians 
and  his  son  Benjamin  with  his  wife  Ann,  also  Lucy  Uncas 
made  profession  of  ye  christian  faith,  and  were  baptized,  BEN- 
JAMIN, BENJAMIN,  ANN,  LUCY;  Benjamin  Uncas  his 
younger  children,  ESTHER,  MERCY;  Benjamin  Uncas  Junr 
his  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Nov.  21st.     Samuel  Lattimore's  child,  MARY. 

Dec.   5th.     Daniel  Coyt's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Jan.  16th,  [1743  N.  S.]  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  ELIZA- 
BETH; Joseph  Waterhouse's  child,  KETURAH;  Nathaniel 
Coyt's  child,  MARGARET. 


BAPTISMS.  511 

1743. 

March  6th.    John  Wheeler's  child,  LUCY. 

March  20th.  James  Tilley's  child,  MARY;  William  Holt 
Junr  his  child,  ELIZABETH. 

March  23d.    Jonathan  Culver's  child,  JONATHAN. 

April  10th.  John  Prentis's  child,  ANN;  Joseph  Coyt's  child, 
ELIZABETH. 

Apr.  17th.  Richard  Harris's  child,  JEREMIAH;  James 
Camp's  child,  LOTTIE;  Henry  Harris's  child,  HENRY;, 
Ephraim  Wheeler's  child,  MARGARET. 

May  1st.  Charles  Short's  child,  CHARLES;  the  widow 
Lee's  child,  SAMUEL;  Elizabeth  Garret,  an  Indian  woman, 
a  Mohegan,  was  baptized,  ELIZABETH;  Benjamin  Uncas 
Junr's  child,  ANN;  and  his  wife  her  child,  MARY. 

May  15th.     Edward  Tinker's  child,  EDWARD. 

May  22d.    Zaccheus  Wheeler's  child,  ZACCHEUS. 

May  29th.  Thomas  Atwel  was  baptized,  THOMAS,  and  his 
son,  THOMAS. 

June  5th.    Jeremiah  Richards's  child,  STEPHEN, 

June  12th.  James  Lamphire's  child,  MARY;  Joseph  Lath- 
rop's  child,  JOHN;  John  Harris's  child,  JOHN. 

June  19th.    Joseph  Harris's  child,  SARAH. 

July  10th.  Stephen  and  Patience  Douglass  had  yr  child  bap- 
tized, STEPHEN;  William  Morgan's  child,  KATHERINE;, 
Comfort  Brooks's  children,  GRACE,  THOMAS,  JAMES, 
JOSHUA;  Jasper  Daniels's  child,  JEDIDIAH;  Jemima  Dolli- 
ver's  child,  FRANCIS. 

July  17th.     Samuel  Leach's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

July  24th.  Clement  Stebbins's  child,  ANN;  Elizabeth  wife 
of  Jonathan  Chapel,  had  her  child  baptized,  PETER. 

July  31st.    Witherel  Denison's  child,  SARAH. 

Aug.  14th.  William  Hatch's  child,  JOSHUA;  William  Han- 
cock's child,  WILLIAM. 

Aug.  21st.  John  Chapel's  child,  GRACE;  Mary,  wife  of 
James  Rogers  her  child,  JEREMIAH. 

Aug.  28th.     Joseph  Smith's  child,  ELIZABETH. 


512      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

Sept.  18th.  John  Wyer's  child,  SARAH;  Clement  Bebe's 
child,  ELNATHAN. 

Oct.  2d.  Samuel  Richards'  child,  WILLIAM;  John  Eams's 
children,  BENAJAH,  REBECKAH;  Daniel  Collins's  child, 
HENRY. 

Oct.  16th.  David  Gardiner's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Caleb 
More's  child,  JONATHAN. 

Oct.  23d.  Jemima,  wife  of  Richard  Chapel,  had  her  child 
baptized,  MARTHA. 

Oct.  30th.     Daniel  Denison's  child,  ANN. 

Nov.  13th.     Stephen  Lee's  child,  JOHN. 

Nov.  20th.     Willm  Manwaring's  child,  SARAH. 

Nov.  27th.  Samuel  Green's  child,  SAMUEL;  Caleb  Doug- 
lass's child,  RICHARD;  John  (son  of  William)  Crocker's  child, 
SILAS. 

Dec.  13th.     John  Dart's  child,  JOHN. 

Jan.  8th,  [1744  N.  S.]     William  Douglass's  child,  LUCY. 

Feb.  19th.     Jonathan  Lattimore's  child,  BORADIL. 

1744. 

March  7.     Silas  Whipple's  child,  REBECKAH. 

March   11th.     James   Chapman's   child,    LYDIA. 

April  1st.  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  MARY;  Joseph  Hurl- 
but's  child,  JOSEPH;  Daniel  Truman's  child,  ESTHER. 

April  15th.     Jesse  Minor's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

April  22d.     John  Rogers's  child,  ESTHER. 

April  29th.  David  Culver's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Stephen 
Chappel's  child,  EDWARD;  John  Tinker  Junr's  child,  GRACE. 

May  2d.    John  Brooks's   child,   ABIGAIL. 

May  6th.  John  Prentis's  child,  ESTHER;  Josiah  Brooks's 
child,  BATHSHUA. 

May  13th.     James  Comstock's  child,  SARAH. 

May  27th.     Nathaniel   Holt's   child,   THOMAS. 

June  3d.  Daniel  Coyt's  child,  SARAH;  Stephen  Hempstead's 
child,  PATIENCE;  Nathaniel  Bebee's  child,  GEORGE;  Joshua 
More  Junr's  child,  SUSANNA. 


BAPTISMS.  513 

June  10th.  Prudence  wife  of  Roger  Dart  was  baptized, 
PRUDENCE. 

June  17th.     Nicholas  Darrow's  child,  MILLESON. 

June  24th.  John  Crocker's  child,  ANDREW;  William  Holt 
Junr  his  child,  BENJAMIN. 

July  8th.     Joshua  Hempstead  Junr  his  child  JOSHUA. 

July  25th.     William  Hatch's  child,  JOB. 

Aug.  1st.  Johanna,  wife  of  Moses  Fargo  had  her  children 
baptized  MOSES,  ZACCHEUS,  MARY;  Benjamin  Beebe  Junr 
his  child,  JAMES. 

Aug.  26th.  Thomas  Way's  child,  ABIGAIL;  Richard  Chapel's 
child,  WILLIAM. 

Sept.  2d.     Daniel  Star's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Sept.  16th.  Miles  More's  child  of  Lyme,  ELIZABETH;  Mary 
wife  of  Isaac  Fellows  had  her  child  baptized,  MARY. 

Sept.  30th.     Samuel  Bebee's  child,  HANNAH. 

Oct.  14th.  William  Crocker's  child,  JONATHAN;  Richard 
Coyt's  child,  MARTHA;  Oliver  Manwaring's  child,  MARY. 

Oct.  28th.     Zaccheus  Wheeler's  child,  EDWARD. 

Nov.  11th.     David  Richard's  Junr  his  child,  EDWARD. 

Nov.  25th.     James  Tilly's  child,  JAMES. 

Dec.    16th.     Jonathan   Culver's   child,    JONATHAN. 

Jan.  13th,  [1745  N.  S.]     Stephen  Douglass's  child,  SPERRY. 

Jan.  27.     A  child  ELIZABETH. 

Feb.  3d.  Joseph  Lathrop's  child,  MARY;  John  Harris's 
child,  ANN;  William  Beckwith's  child,  MARY. 

Feb.  6th.  John  Eam's  child,  ZEBULON;  Jonathan  Chapel's 
child,  JOSEPH. 

Feb.  17th.     Nathaniel  Coyt's  child,   SOLOMON. 

Feb.  24th.     Samuel  Lattimore's  child,  LUCY. 

1745. 

March   24th.     Joseph   Waterhouse's   child,   JEREMIAH. 
April  7th.    Wm  Atwater's  child,  LUCY. 
May  1st.    Robert  Douglass's  child  [no  name.] 
May  5th.    Widow  Peniman's  child,  ELIZABETH;  John  Mor- 
gan Junr's  child,  GEORGE. 


514      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

May  12tli.     Samuel  Talman's  child,  SAMUEL. 

May  19th.     Peter  Lattimore's  child,  PICKET. 

June  2d.  Jeremiah  Richards' s  child,  MARY;  Thomas  Minor 
son  of  William's  child,  THOMAS;  Samuel  Leach's  child,  ES- 
THER; Henry  Harris's  child,  ELIPHALET. 

June  9th.  Daniel  Dishon's  child,  MOSES;  Edward  Tinker's 
child,  EDWARD. 

July  3d.     Samuel  Brooks's  children  [no  names.] 

July  14th.     Joshua  Hempstead  Junr  his  child,  EDWARD. 

July  28th.    William  Morgan's  child,  PHILIP. 

Aug.   4th.     John   Wheeler's    child,    SARAH. 

Aug.  7th.  William  Hatch's  child,  PETER;  Jonathan  Whip- 
ple's child,  NICHOLAS;  Robert  Eams's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Aug.  13th.  At  Mohegin  Benjamin  Uncas  Junr  his  child, 
JOSIAH. 

Aug.  25th.  John  Calder's  child  ENOS;  James  Chapman's 
child,  REBECKAH. 

Sept.    1st.     Jasper   Daniels's   child,    HANNAH. 

Sept.  4th.  Timothy  Brooks  (deceased)  his  children  ICHA- 
BOD  and  DANIEL. 

Sept.   15th.     John   Crocker's   child,   JOHN. 

Sept.  22d.     Titus  Hurlbut's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

Sept.  29th.     Stately  Scranton's  child,  THOMAS. 

Oct.  13th.    Isaac  Fellows's  child,  ISAAC. 

Oct.  27th.  John  Colfax's  child,  MARY;  Josiah  Brooks's 
child,  ELLEPH. 

Nov.  3d.     The  widow  Mary  Truman's  child,  JOHN. 

Nov.  10th.     William  Hancock's  child,  THOMAS. 

Nov.  24th.  John  Christopher's  child,  RICHARD;  Pygan 
Adams's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Dec.  8th.     Samuel  Richards's  child,   DANIEL-STILL. 

Dec.  29th.     Caleb  Douglass's  child,  MARY. 

Jan.  19th,  [1746  N.  S.]     James  Lamphire's  child,  MARY. 

Feb.  2d.  William  Holt  Junr  his  child,  SARAH;  Jesse 
Minor's  child,  LUCY. 

Feb.  5th.  Moses  Fargo's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Joshua  More 
Junr's  child,  REBECKAH;  Clement  Bebee's  child,  SARAH. 


BAPTISMS.  515 

Feb.  9th.     Joseph  Harris's  child,  REBECKAH. 
Feb.  16th.     Nathaniel  Shaw's  child,  JOHN. 

1746, 

March  2d.  Daniel  Coyt's  child,  MEHETABEL;  Daniel  Tru- 
man's child,  SARAH. 

March  16th.     John  Rogers's  child,  MARTHA. 

March  23d.     William  Douglass's  child,  SARAH. 

March  30th.     John  Dart's  child,  RUTH. 

Apr.   17th.     Joshua   More   Junr's   child,    MARGARET. 

May  11th.     John  Christopher's  child,  MARY. 

May  18th.  David  Gardiner's  child,  MARY;  Joseph  Hurl- 
but's  child,  GEORGE. 

May  25th.     John  Chapel  Junr's  child,  JESSE. 

June  15th.     John  Tinker  Junr's  child,  SAMUEL. 

June  29th.     Daniel  Denison's  child,  JAMES. 

July  6th.    Joseph  Coyt's  child,  LUCY. 

July  27th.     Samuel   Green's   child,   MARY. 

Aug.  3d.  Jeremiah  Miller  Junr  his  child,  JOHN-STILL; 
Nathaniel  Holt's  child,  MARY. 

Aug.  6th.     James  Camp's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Aug.  10th.  Thomas  Way  Junr's  child  THOMAS;  Zaccheus 
Wheeler's  child,  EDWARD;  Stephen  Douglass's  child,  RICH- 
ARD. 

Aug.  31st.     Oliver  Manwaring  Junr's  child,   HANNAH, 

Sept.   3d.     Miles   More's   children,   MARTHA,   MARY. 

Sept.  7th.     Daniel  Collins's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

Sept.  14th.     Stephen  Hempstead's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Sept.  15th.    Widow  Merrils  her  child,  PYGAN. 

Sept.  21st.  Widow  Sarah  Merrils  her  children,  ALEXAN- 
DER, EDWARD. 

Oct.   12th.     Stephen  Lee's   child,   JOHN  BROWN. 

Oct.  19th.     Robert  Sloan's  child,  MARY. 

Oct.  26th.     Samuel  Talman's  child,  HANNAH. 

Nov.  16th.    William  Manwaring's  child,  REBECKAH. 

Dec.  7th.    John  Holt's  child,  JOHN. 

Dec.  14th.    John  Prentis's  child,  JOHN. 


516       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Jan.   11th,    [1747   N.   S.]     Gurdon   Saltonstall's   child,   RICH- 
ARD. 

Feb.   22d.     Samuel   Bebe's   child,    SAMUEL.. 

1747. 

March  4th.     Nathan  Douglass's  child,  EBENEZER. 

March   8th.     John   Harris's   child,    DANIEL.;   Joshua   Hemp- 
stead Junr's  child,  ROBERT. 

April  1st.     Clement  Minor's  child,  WILLIAM, 

Apr.    5th.     Daniel    Starr's    child,    WILLIAM;    James    Chap- 
man's  children,   JOSEPH,   MARY. 

Apr.   12th.     Edward  Tinker's  child,  HANNAH. 

Apr.  26th.    James  Douglass  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  bap- 
tized,  SUSANNA;  John   Douglass's  child,   JOHN. 

May  10th.     Samuel  Leach's  child,  LUCY;  Nicholas  Darrow's 
child,  ELIZABETH. 

June   14th.     Jonathan   Chapel's   child,   PRUDENCE. 

June  17th.     William  Hancock's  child,  SARAH. 

June  21st.     Samuel  Talman's  child,  JAMES. 

June  28th.     Jeremiah  Richards's  child,  ANN. 

July    1st.     Ben    Bebe's    child,    JOHANNA;    Silas    Whipple's 
child,  HANNAH;  the  widow  Crocker's  child,  WILLIAM. 

July  5th.     William  Holt  Junr  his  child,  STEPHEN. 

July  26th.     Titus  Hurlbut's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

Aug.  2d.     Peter  Lattimore's  child,  PICKET;  Samuel  Gardi- 
ner's child,  ABIGAIL;  Jonathan  Culver's  child,  SAMUEL. 

Aug.    16th.     Phebe   Amsberry's    child,    WILLIAM. 

Aug.  23d.     Nathaniel  Coyt's  child,  MARY. 

Aug.  30th.     Thomas  Minor's  child,  GRACE. 

Sept.  2d.     Thom  Butler's  child,  THOMAS. 

Sept.  5th.     Samuel  Richards's  child,  MARY. 

Sept.  13th.     Pygan  Adams's  child,  ALEXANDER  PYGAN. 

Sept.  20th.     Joseph  Lothrop's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Sept.  27th.     Nathaniel  Shaw's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Oct.    11th.    John   Morgan   Junr  his   children,   MARY,   MAR- 
THA; Isaac  Fallows  his  child,  WILLIAM. 

Nov.  1st,    Jeremiah  Miller  Junr  his  child,  MARY. 

Nov.  15th.     Caleb  Douglass's  child,  MARGARET. 


BAPTISMS.  517 

Dec.  2d.     Robert  Douglass  child  MBHETABEL. 

Jan.  10th,  [1748  N.  S.]     John  Christophers'  child,  PETER. 

Jan.  24th.     Sarah  Birch  was  baptized,  SARAH. 

Jan.  31st.  Jonathan  Lattimore  and  his  wife  had  yr  child 
baptized,  HANNAH;  Joseph  Harris's  child,  TEMPERANCE; 
Stephen  Douglass's  child,  ELIJAH. 

1748. 

Apr.   3d.     David   Gardiner's   child,   DAVID. 

Apr.  10th.  Joseph  Coyt's  child,  L.UCRETIA;  Samuel  Lat- 
timore's  child,   RICHARD;  Jesse  Minor's  child,  SUSANNA. 

Apr.  17th.  William  Douglass's  child,  EUNICE;  William 
Morgan's  child,  ENOCH. 

Apr.  20th.  At  a  lecture  at  Mohegin,  Ben  Uncas's  child, 
ESTHER;  Betty  Garret's,  alias  Johnson's  child,  HANNAH. 

May  8th.     Samuel  Bill's  child,  JOHN. 

May  22d.     John  Dart's  child,  SUSANNA. 

June  1st.  Abel  More's  children,  ABIGAIL,  JOSEPH,  JOHN, 
LYDIA;  Moses  Fargo's  child,  HANNAH;  William  Hatch's 
child,  SUSANNA;  Jasper  Daniels's  child,  SARAH;  Jabez  Chap- 
pel's  child,  MARY;  Richard  Chapel's  child,  BETHIAH. 

June  5th.     John  Colfax's  child,  WILLIAM. 

June  19th.  Daniel  Comstock's  children,  DESIRE,  CHRIS- 
TIAN; James  Comstock's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

June  26th.  Nathaniel  Holt's  child,  JAMES;  John  Rogers's 
child,   JOHN;   John  Holt's   child,   KATHERINE. 

July  24th.     Jonathan  Copp's  child,  JOHN. 

Aug.  7th.     John  Wheeler's  child,  LYDIA. 

Aug.  14th.     Charles  Short's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Sept.  nth.     William  Beckwith's  child,  WILLIAM. 

Oct.  9th.     James  Douglass's  child,  PHEBE. 

Oct.  23d.     Col.   Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  MARTHA. 

Oct.  30th.  Christopher  Christophers'  children,  CHRISTO- 
PHER, JOSEPH. 

Nov.  20th.     Daniel  Truman's  child,  HENRY. 

Dec.  4th.     Samuel  Talman's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Dec.  nth.     Joshua  Hempstead  Junr's  child,  SAMUEL;  Man- 


518       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

asseh  and  his  wife  Lydia  Leach,  had  yr  child  baptized,  CLEM- 
ENT. 

Jan.  22d,  [1749  N.  S.]  Stephen  Hempstead's  child,  WIL- 
LIAM; John  Douglass's  child,  JOHN. 

Feb.  1st.     Oliver  Manwaring  Junior's  child,  BETTY. 

Feb.  12th.  Nicholas  Hallam,  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  Hallam, 
had  yr  child  baptized,  GRACE. 

1749. 

March  1st.  Anthony  Whipple's  children,  JOHN,  JANE; 
Thomas  Manwaring  Junr's  child,  THOMAS. 

March  19th.     Joseph  Hurlbut's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

March  26th.  Daniel  Denison's  child,  ELIZABETH;  James 
Tilly's  child,  JOHN. 

Apr.  2d.     John  Harris's  child,  CHRISTOPHER. 

Apr.  5th.     Samuel  Brooks'  child,  RICHARD. 

April  9th.  Samuel  Richards's  child,  JEDIDIAH;  Nathan 
Douglass's  child,  ANN;  at  a  lecture  at  Mohegin,  Joseph  his 
child,   ELIZABETH. 

Apr.  23d.  John  Hawkins'  and  his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized 
SARAH. 

Ap.  30th.  Pygan  Adams's  child,  ANN;  Samuel  and  Mary 
Morgan,  yr  child,  was  baptized,   SAMUEL. 

May  21st.     Jeremiah  Miller  Junr's  child,  JEREMIAH. 

June  7th.  Moses  Fargo's  child,  ELEANOR;  Daniel  Com- 
stock's  child,  JEMIMA;  Silas  Whipple's  child,  JOSHUA;  Jon- 
athan Chapel's  child,  EBENEZER;  Jabesh  Chappel's  child, 
TEMPERANCE;  Mary  Morgan's  child,   ELIZABETH. 

July  23d.     Samuel  Leach's  child,  JOHN. 

July  30th.  George  Chappel's  child  was  baptized,  MARY; 
Thomas  Minor's  child,  SUSANNA;  Samuel  Gardiner's  child, 
HANNAH;  Josiah  Brooks's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

July  31st.     George  Richards  Junr's  child,  GEORGE. 

Sept.  10th.  Jonathan  Lattimore  Junr's  child,  GEORGE; 
George  Richards  Junr's  child,  ESTHER. 

Oct.   1st.     Titus  Hurlbut's  child,   JEREMIAH. 

Oct.     15th.     Nathaniel     Beebe's     child,     PETER;     Zaccheus 


BAPTISMS.  519 

Wheeler's  child,  FREDERICK;  Saml  Beebe's  child,  ELJZA- 
BETH. 

Oct.  29th.     Saml  Bill  Junr's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  3d.     John  Coyt's  child,  DESIRE. 

Dec.  24th.     Samuel  Green's  child,  MARGARET. 

Dec.  31st.    William  Holt  Junr's  child,  SARAH. 

Jan.  7th,  [1750  N.  S.]  Christopher  Christophers'  child, 
ELIZABETH. 

Jan.  14th.     Isaac  Fellows's  child,  BYANTON. 

Jan.  21st.    John  Christophers'  child,  LUCRETIA. 

Feb.  4th.     David  Gardiner's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

1750. 

March  4th.     Thomas  Butler  Junr's  child,  SARAH. 

March  24th.     Daniel  Coyt's  child,  ESTHER. 

March  25th.  Col.  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  HENRIETTA r 
Jonathan  Culver's  child,  JEREMIAH;  John  Tinker  Junr's  child, 
ELIZABETH. 

April  23d.  At  Mohegin  Benjamin  Uncas's  child,  ISAIAH; 
Moses  Mosine,  alias,  Tonatio's  child,  MOSES. 

April  29th.     Charles  Short's  child,  JOANNA. 

May  20th.     Samuel  Talman's  child,  JOHN. 

May  27th.     Caleb  Douglass's  child,  CALEB. 

June  10th.     Jeremiah  Miller  Junr's  child,  MARGARETA. 

June  17th.  George  Colfax  and  wife  had  yr  child  baptized, 
SARAH. 

June  23d.     Thos  Calkins's  child,  MARY. 

June  25th.     Mrs.  Hancock's  child,  ANN. 

July  4th.  Robert  Douglass's  child,  JOSEPH;  James  Doug- 
lass's child,  JAMES;  William  Crocker's  children,  JONATHAN, 
ELIZABETH. 

July  6th.     Nathaniel  Coyt's  child,  RICHARD. 

July  22d.    Nicholas  Darrow's  child,  NICHOLAS. 

Aug.  5th.  William  Douglass's  child,  RICHARD;  David 
Richards  Junr  his  child  RHODA. 

Aug.  12th.     Samuel  Douglass's  child,  MARY. 


520      LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Sept.  2d.  Nicholas  Hallam's  child,  EDWARD;  Edward 
Tinker's  child,  JOHN. 

Sept.  30th.    Joseph  Coyt's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Oct.  7th.  Joseph  Harris's  child,  NATHANIEL;  Phebe  Ams- 
berry's  child,  JOSHUA. 

Oct.  14th.     John  Holt's  child,  SARAH. 

Oct.  28th.  Joshua  More's  child,  JOSHUA;  William  More  and 
his  wife  had  yr  child  baptized,  WILLIAM. 

Nov.  4th.     Daniel  Star's  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Nov.  25th.     John  Hawkins's  child,  BENJAMIN. 

Dec.  2d.     John  Dart's  child,  REBECKAH. 

Dec.  5th.  Joshua  More  Junr's  child,  HANNAH;  Daniel 
Eams's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Dec.  16th.  John  Douglass's  child,  ESTHER;  Jesse  Minor's 
child,  ISAAC. 

Jan.  6th,  [1751  N.  S.]     John  Rogers's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Jan.  20th.     Nathaniel  Holt's  child,  PETER. 

Feb.  10th.     William  Holt  Junior  his  child,  ABIGAIL. 

Feb.  24th.  Samuel  Leach's  child,  THOMAS;  Joshua  Hemp- 
stead's child,  LYDIA. 

1751. 

March  17th.     Joseph  Waterhouse's  child,   DANIEL. 

April  21st.     Samuel  Morgan's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

April  28th.     William  Hatch's  child,  STEPHEN. 

May  1st.     Johanna  Fargo's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

May  5th.  George  Richards's  child,  KATHARINE;  Jonathan 
Lattimore's  child,  BORADIL. 

May  19th.     James  Harris  his  child,  JAMES. 

June  3d.  At  Mohegin  Joseph  Johnson's  child  in  right  of  his 
wife  Elizabeth  Garrett,  JOSEPH. 

June  23d.  Stephen  Prentiss  Junr  and  his  wife  had  yr  child 
baptized,  LUCY. 

July  3d.     Samuel  Brooks's  child,   STEPHEN. 

July  7th.     My  grandchild,  Pygan  Adams's  child,  LYDIA. 

July  14th.  Titus  Hurlbut's  child,  HANNAH;  Zaccheus 
Wheeler's  child,  BRIDGET. 

Aug.  7th.     Ezekiel  Daniels's  children  [no  names]. 


BAPTISMS.  521 

Oct.  6th.  Nathaniel  Shaw's  child,  MARY;  Stephen  Hemp- 
stead's child,  LUCY. 

Oct.  13th.     Oliver  Manwaring  Junr's  child,  LUCRETIA. 

Oct.   20th.     Capt.   Daniel  Coyt's  child,   DANIEL. 

Oct.  27th.  Amos  Hallam.  and  wife  had  yr  child  baptized, 
SARAH. 

Nov.  3d.  Samuel  Bill  Junr's  child,  DAVID;  Nathan  Doug- 
lass's child,  HANNAH;  Manasseh  Leach's  child,  MANASSEH. 

Jan.  19th,  [1752  N.  S.]  Samuel  Talman's  child,  [no  name]; 
James  Lamphire's  child,  [no  name]. 

Feb.  9th.  George  Colfax's  child,  [name  illegible] ;  Mr.  Fel- 
lows' child  of  Boston,  ANDREW. 

1752. 

March  8th.  Col.  Gurdon  Saltonstall's  child,  GILBERT; 
James  French's  child,  of  Boston,  SAMUEL. 

March  22d.     Isaac  Fellows'  child,  THOMAS. 

April  20th.     Joseph  Hurlbut's  child,  ANN. 

May  6th.     John  Morgan  Junr  his  twins  ISAAC,  RBBECKAH. 

May  10th.     James  Comstock's  child,  JAMES. 

June  7th.  William  More's  child,  MARY;  John  Tinker  Junr's 
child,  JOSEPH. 

June  14th.  Nicholas  Darrow's  child,  ELIZABETH;  Samuel 
Bebee's  child,  RHODA. 

July  1st.  Robert  Douglass's  child,  DANIEL;  Daniel  Eams's 
child  ANNA. 

July  9th.     Nathaniel  Coyt's  twins,  SAMUEL,  WILLIAM. 

July  19th.     Joseph  Coyt's  child,  THOMAS. 

Aug.  16th.     Jeremiah  Miller  Junr  his  child,  ANN. 

Sept.  13th,  0.  S.  John  Coyt's  child,  JOHN;  Jonathan  Col- 
ver's  child,  CHRISTOPHER. 

Oct.  4th,  O.  S.  W^illiam  Douglass's  child,  LYDIA;  Nicholas 
Hallam's  child,  JOHN;  Thomas  Manwaring  Junr's  child, 
SARAH;  John  Wheeler's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Oct.  18th,  O.  S.     Thomas  Butler  Junr's  child,  WALTER. 

Oct.  25th,  O.  S.     John  Rogers's  child,  LYDIA. 

Nov.  22d,  0.  S.     Nathaniel  Holt's  child,  PETER. 

Dec.  13th,  0.  S.     Pygan  Adams's  child,  ELIZABETH. 


522      LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

1753. 

March  4th.    Amos  Hallam's  child,  AMOS. 

April  8th.     Christopher  Christophers'  child,  JONATHAN. 

April  15th.     John  Douglass's  child,  GRACE. 

April  22d.  David  Gardiner's  child,  JOSEPH;  John  Hawkins's 
child,  DEBORAH. 

May  20th.     George  Hendry's  child,  THOMAS. 

June  3d.  Jonathan  Lattimore  Junr's  child,  JONATHAN; 
George  Richards's  child,  ESTHER;  John  Dart's  child,  BETH- 
lAH;  John  Minor's  child,  EUNICE. 

June  24th.     Jasper  Daniels'  child,  PHEBE. 

July  6th.  James  and  Jane  Harpin,  had  yr  child  baptized, 
being  sick,  JOHANNA. 

Aug.  6th.     Bryan  Palms'  child,  JANNET. 

Aug.  13th.    William  Hatch's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Aug.  20th.     Zaccheus  Wheeler's  child,   GUY. 

Sept.   9th.     William  Morgan's  child,   BRIDGET. 

THE  REV.  MR.  ADAMS  DIED  OCT.  4TH,  1753,  AFTER 
WHICH   THE   FOLLOWING   CHILDREN   WERE   BAPTIZED. 

Oct.  28th.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jewit  [of  North  Parish,  now 
Montville];  George  Colfax's  child,  EBENEZER;  Joseph  Water- 
house's  child,  SARAH;  Nathan  Douglass's  child,  DEBORAH. 

1754. 

Feb.  3d.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cleveland  [of  Haddam],  Bryant 
Palmes'  child,  JOSEPH. 

March  17th.     William  Holt's  Jun.   child,   SAMUEL. 

April  21st.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ellis  [of  Franklin],  Stephen 
Prentis's  child,  HANNAH. 

April  28th.  By  Rev.  Mr.  Cleveland,  Samuel  Morgan's  child, 
MARGARET. 

May  12th.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lord  [of  Norwich]  Stephen 
Hempstead's  child,  STEPHEN;  Isaac  Fellows's  child,  JOSEPH. 

Aug.  4th.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson  [of  Old  Lyme]  Gurdon 
Saltonstall's   child,    SARAH. 

Nov.  25th.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jewit,  Joseph  Colt's  chiW, 
DANIEL  LATHROP;  Samuel  Tallman's  child,  ELIZABETH. 


BAPTISMS.  52a 

1755. 

Feb.  23d.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Beckwith  [of  Hamburg  in  Lyme], 
Nicholas  Hallam's  child,  [no  name] ;  Amos  Hallam's  child, 
[no  name]. 

Mar  2d.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson,  Joseph  Harris's  child, 
L.YDIA. 

June  8th.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jewit,  Zaccheus  Wheeler's  child,. 
SARAH;  James  Thompson's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

Aug.  18th.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Griswold  [of  East  Lyme],  Jesse 
Miner's  child,  AMOS. 

Oct.  5th.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Throop  [of  Bozrah]  John  Coit's 
child  MEHETABEL;  George  Richard's  child,  GEORGE;  George 
Colfax's  child,  LUCY;  Thomas  Butler's  Junr  child,  DANIEL; 
Nathanael  Coit's  child,  KATHERINE;  Joseph  Hurlbut's  child, 
GEORGE;  Nathan  Douglass's  child  [no  name]. 

1756. 

Feb.  22d.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson,  Oliver  Manwaring's  child, 
OLIVER;  Samuel  Bill's  child,  DANIEL;  John  Hawkins's  child, 
MARY;  Samuel  Beebe's  2d  child,   BETHIAH. 

Oct.      By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jewit,  Joseph  Coit's  child,  JERUSHA. 

1757. 

Apr.  3d.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Estabrooks,  [of  East  Haddam] 
Thomas  Fosdick's  child,  CLEMENT;  Charles  Bulkeley's  child, 
JONATHAN;  Nicholas  Hallam's  child,  ROBERT;  Amos  Hal- 
lam's child,  LYDIA;  Isaac  Fellows's  child,  ELIZABETH; 
George  Colfax's  child,  WILLIAM;  Jeremiah  Miller's  child, 
KATHERINE. 

July  24th.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lord  [of  Norwich]  Pygan 
Adams's  child,  LYDIA;  John  Dart's  child,  CALEB;  William 
Holt's  child,  DAVID;  John  Rogers's  child,  ELIZABETH; 
James  Thompson's  child,  JOHN. 

VI.     BAPTISMS  OF  REV.  MATHER  BYLES. 

1757. 
Nov.  20.     THOMAS,  of  David  and  Elisabeth  Gardiner;  JOHN,, 
of   George   and   Katherine    Richards;   PHEBE,    of   James   and 
Sarah  Douglass;  AMOS,  of  Sarah  Butler. 

December  4.     NATHAN,  of  Nathan  Douglass. 


524       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

1758. 

January  15.     ABIGAIL,  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  Hempstead. 

February  12.  DANIEL,  of  Nathaniel  and  Elisabeth  Water- 
house. 

February  26.  ELISABETH,  of  Jeremiah  and  Margaretta 
Miller;  HANNAH,  of  Margaret  Church,  of  Groton;  SARAH 
SIMMONS,  A.i  JANE  CHAPMAN,  A;  KATHERINE  CHAP- 
MAN,  A. 

March  5.     THOMAS,  of  Mary  Hubbard. 

March  12.     SARAH,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Simmons. 

March  16.  EUNICE  MASON,  A;  JOHN  of  John  and  Deborah 
Hawkins. 

March  26.  SAMUEL,  of  Thomas  and  Grace  Fosdyke;  JON- 
ATHAN, of  George  and  Lucy  Colfax. 

April  9.     NEHEMIAH,  of  Nehemiah  and  Mary  Rogers. 

April  16.     RUFUS,  of  Jesse  and  Jane  Minor. 

April  18.  PHEBE,  of  Grace  Morgan;  JABEZ  and  PETER 
of  Jabez  and  Ann  Chappell. 

April  23.     DANIEL  and  SAMUEL,  of  Daniel  Whittemore. 

April  30.     JOHN,  of  Lucretia  Casterer. 

May  14.  By  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lord,  John  Douglass's  child, 
DAVID. 

June  11.  JOHN,  THOMAS,  JUDAH-PADUCK,  REBECCA, 
ROSAMOND,  ALICE,  JEDUTHAN,  ALDEN,  of  Thomas  and 
Rebecca  Spooner. 

June  18.     REUBEN  MINOR,   A. 

August  6.     SAMUEL  and  ABIGAIL,  of  Johanna  Strickland. 

August  20.  ESTHER  and  ABIGAIL,  of  David  and  Elleph 
Culver;   DEBORAH,   of  Samuel  and  Mary  Morgan. 

September  8.     EDWARD,  of  Charles  and  Ann  Bulkley. 

September    19.     MARY,    and    HANNAH,    of    Walter    Butler; 
HANNAH  and  ELISABETH,  of  Comfort  and  Hannah  Brooks; 
SAMUEL,  of  John  and  Elisabeth  Tinker;  ANNA  and  DAVID, 
of  Mary  Brooks. 

October    1.     ANNA,    NATHANIEL,    SAMUEL    BOOTH,    and 

^A  through  this  pastorate  signifies  adults. 


BAPTISMS.  525 

DANIEL,  of  Nathaniel  and  Hannah  Hempstead;  RICHARD  of 
Sarah  Holt. 

October  8.  JOSHUA,  of  Joshua  Colt;  ELISABETH,  of  Amos 
and  Sarah  Hallam;  CHAPMAN,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Sim- 
mons. 

October  15.     SAMUEL,  of  Samuel  and  Abigail  Gardiner. 

November  5.  GEORGE,  LEMUEL,  DAVID,  NATHANIEL, 
GUY,  of  Love  Rogers. 

November  12.  JOSEPH  and  MARY,  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
Dishon. 

November  19.  DANIEL  WETHERELL,  of  Esther  Sandi- 
forth. 

1759. 

February  25,  ELISABETH,  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  Copp. 

March  4.  SUSANNA  and  MEHETABEL,  of  Jedediah  and 
Sarah  Brown. 

April  8.     JANET,  of  John  and  Elisabeth  Mitchell. 

April  22.  ELISABETH,  of  Mary  Fellows;  MARY  of  Alex- 
ander and  Hannah  Merrill. 

May  20.     ELISABETH,  of  Nicholas  and  Elisabeth  Hallam. 

June  17.     LYDIA,  of  Manasseh  and  Lydia  Leach. 

July  8.  ELISABETH,  of  Nathan  Douglass;  ANNA,  of  Ste- 
phen and  Anna  Prentiss;  CHRISTOPHER,  of  Jedediah  and 
Sarah  Brown. 

July  15.    CHARLES,  of  Jonathan  and  Lucretia  Lattimore. 

July  29.  LYDIA  and  GRACE,  of  Robert  Waterhous; 
GRACE,  of  Thomas  and  Grace  Fosdyke. 

Aug.  5.     RACHEL,  of  James  Thompson  of  Groton. 

August  19.  ELISABETH,  of  Zaccheus  and  Sarah  Wheeler; 
LUCY,  of  John  and  Deborah  Hawkins;  WILLIAM  and  MAR- 
GARET, of  William  and  Mary  Douglass. 

September  2.  LEMUEL,  of  Cyprian  and  Elisabeth  Water- 
man. 

September  23.     ELISABETH,  of  Thomas  and  Abigail  Colt. 

September  30.  David,  of  David  Allen;  JOSEPH  of  Margaret 
Church;  BENJAMIN,  of  Thomas  Lee  of  Lyme. 

November   6.    MARGARET   and   LUCY,    of   Grace   Daniels; 


526       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

CHRISTIAN,  ELISABETH,  JONATHAN,  BETHIAH,  MAR- 
THA, of  Jonathan  and  Elisabeth  Chapel;  SOLOMON,  of  James 
and  Sarah  Douglass;  THOMAS,  TIMOTHY,  REBECCA,  of 
Joanna  Fargo;  JONATHAN,  of  Nathaniel  and  Elisabeth  Water- 
hous;  CALEB,  of  Edward  and  Sarah  Raymond. 
November  11.     LYDIA,  of  Lydia  Manwaring. 

1760. 

January  27.     JOHN,  of  John  and  Martha  Rogers. 

March  2.     REBECCA  SPOONER,  A. 

March  16.  MEHETABEL,  A,  a  negro  servant  of  Gurdon 
Saltonstall. 

April  6.  MARTHA,  of  Mary  Hubbard;  FRANCES,  of  Thomas 
and  Rebecca  Spooner. 

April  13.     WORTHINGTON,  of  Sarah  Ely  of  Saybrook. 

April  19.     SAMUEL,   of  Sarah   Butler. 

April  20.     HANNAH,  of  John  and  Ruth  Dart. 

April  27.     ELISABETH,  of  Nathaniel  and  Lydia  Beebe. 

June  1.  ELISABETH,  of  Charles  and  Ann  Bulkley;  ANN, 
of  George  and  Lucy  Colfax. 

June  8.  CALEB,  and  SAMUEL,  of  William  and  Mary  Doug- 
lass; SARAH,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Beldin. 

July  6.     JOSEPH,  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  Copp. 

July  27.     JOHN,  of  Elisabeth  Chapman. 

August  10.  SAMUEL,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Simmons;  PA- 
TIENCE CLAY,  A;  STEPHEN,  LYDIA,  JOHN  ALLEN  of 
Stephen  and  Patience  Clay;  RICHARD  of  Richard  and  Esther 
Chapman. 

August  24.  SARAH,  of  Alexander  and  Hannah  Merrill; 
PHEBE    STRICKLAND,   A. 

August  31.  At  the  fifth  society  in  Norwich  THEOPHILUS, 
SAMUEL,  HIRAM,  of  Theophilus  and  Lois  Huntington. 

September  7.     JOSEPH,  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Dishon. 

October  5.  CHRISTOPHER,  JOHN,  SILAS,  of  Jedediah  and 
Prudence  Darrow;  LEBBEUS,  of  Cyprian  and  Elisabeth  Water- 
man. 

October  12.    JOSHUA,  of  John  and  Esther  Douglass. 


BAPTISMS.  527 

November  2.  JAMES,  KATHERINE,  SARAH,  LYDIA,  of 
Sarah  Butler. 

November  9.  JOHN,  JAMES,  of  John  and  Elisabeth  Mit- 
chell. 

November  16.  RICHARD,  of  Jesse  and  Jane  Minor;  JOHN, 
of  Nathanael  and  Love  Coit. 

November  23.     MARY  of  Amos  and  Sarah  Hallam. 

1761. 

January  25.     THOMAS,  of  Pygan  Adams. 

March  1.  ROBERT  of  Jonathan  and  Lucretia  Lattimore; 
JOHN,  of  Nathaniel  and  Esther  Plombe. 

April  26.     DANIEL,  of  Richard  and  Esther  Chapman. 

June  21.  LODOWICK,  of  Margaret  Church;  LUCRETIA,  of 
Mary  Fellows. 

July  5.     DANIEL,  of  Mary  Macounlif. 

July  26.     ELISABETH,  of  Turner  and  Rebecca  Minor. 

August  6.  At  a  lecture  at  Joshua  More's  CALEB,  EBEN- 
EZER,  of  Joshua  More;  ELISABETH,  of  Edward  and  Sarah 
Raymond;  BENJAMIN,  of  Clement  Beebe. 

August  30.  JAMES,  of  James  Thompson;  ABIGAIL,  of 
Thomas  Coit. 

September  20.  STEPHEN,  of  Stephen  Chappel;  JEDI- 
DIAH,  of  Jedidiah  and  Prudence  Darrow. 

September  27.     JOSEPH,  of  John  Crocker. 

October  25.  JOSEPH,  of  William  and  Elisabeth  Morgan; 
ABIGAIL,  of  Jonathan  and  Elisabeth  Chapel. 

November  8.  PHEBE,  of  Stephen  and  Anna  Prentiss,  MAR- 
GARET, of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Beldin. 

November  15.  HANNAH,  of  Nathanael  and  Hannah  Hemp- 
stead. 

November  22.  JEREMIAH,  of  Nathanael  and  Katherine 
Thorp;  TURNER  MATHER,  of  Turner  and  Rebecca  Minor. 

November  29.    ANN,  of  John  and  Deborah  Hawkins. 

1762. 
January  17.     GEORGE,  of  Nicholas  and  Elisabeth  Hallam. 
April  4.     BENJAMIN,   of  John  and  Ruth  Dart;   IVORY,   of 


528      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

William  and  Mary  Douglass;  DAVID,  of  Ebenezer  and  Elisa- 
beth Dart. 

April  11.     JOHN  GOUBE.  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Simmons. 

April  25.  WILLIAM,  of  Nathanael  and  Love  Coit;  LYDIA  of 
John  Crocker. 

May  30.  At  the  second  society  in  Roxbury,  EBENEZER,  of 
Ebenezer  and  Mary  Scott. 

June  6.    JOHN,  of  Richard  and  Anna  Law. 

June  20.  MARY,  of  Stephen  and  Patience  Clay;  ELISHA, 
of  Cyprian  and  Elisabeth  Waterman;  GIDEON,  of  Elisabeth 
Chapman. 

June  27.  ETHLINDA,  of  Sarah  Ely;  ESTHER,  of  Manasseh 
and  Lydia  Leach;  MARY,  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Dishon. 

July  4.  ROBERT,  of  George  and  Lucy  Colfax;  LUCRETIA, 
of  Mary  Hubbard;  MARY,  of  Joshua  and  Prudence  Spicer  of 
Norwich, 

August  1.     RACHEL,  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  Copp. 

September  26.  At  the  first  society  in  Groton,  RACHEL,  of 
Ebenezer  Perkins. 

October  3.     SARAH,  of  James  and  Sarah  Douglass. 

October  31.  REBECCA,  of  Mather  and  Rebecca  Byles; 
JEREMIAH,  ELISABETH,  JAMES,  of  Sarah  Chapman. 

November  21.    JEDIDIAH,  of  Jedidiah  and  Sarah  Brown. 

December  19.     ROBERT  of  Robert  and  Lydia  Lattimore. 

1763. 

February  27.  NICHOLAS,  of  Jonathan  and  Lucretia  Latti- 
more. 

March  13.     RICHARD,  of  Richard  and  Anna  Law. 

March  20.     MEHETABEL,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Beldin. 

March  27.     SAMUEL,  of  Samuel  and  Elisabeth  Lattimore. 

April  3.  GURDON  JASON,  of  Jeremiah  and  Margaretta 
Miller. 

April  24.     SUSANNA,  of  Turner  and  Rebecca  Minor. 

May  15.  CALEB  DOUGLASS,  of  Gideon  and  Rebecca 
Stacy. 

May  29.     ELIJAH,  of  John  and  Esther  Douglass. 


BAPTISMS.  529 

June  19.     WILLIAM  SALMON,  of  John  Rogers. 

June  26.     NICHOLAS,  of  Mary  Darrow. 

July  17.     ISAAC,  of  Lydia  Manwaring. 

July  24.  LYDIA  JOHNSON,  A;  BENJAMIN  of  Nathaniel 
and  Love  Coit;  WILLIAM,  of  Thomas  and  Lydia  Johnson. 

July  31.  JOHN,  of  Anne  Lattimore;  WILLIAM,  of  Lucretia 
Lattimore;  KATHERINE,  of  Nathaniel  and  Katherlne  Thorp. 

September  11.  FLORA,  a  young  negro  servant  of  Pygan 
Adams  upon  his  account. 

November  1-3.     TIMOTHY,  of  Timothy  and  Rebecca  Green. 

December  4.  JOHN,  of  George  and  Lucy  Colfax;  ELISA- 
BETH, of  John  and  Elisabeth  Mitchell. 

1764. 

January  1.     BORADIL,  of  Nicholas  and  Elisabeth  Hallam. 

January  22.     MARY,  of  William  and  Mary  Douglass. 

February  12.     MARGARET,   of  Margaret  Church. 

March  4.  SARAH,  of  Sarah  Stubbiens;  [in  a  separate  list 
of  those  baptized  by  him  Mr.  Byles  gives  this  as  SARAH 
MINER,  which  is  probably  correct,  and  not  Sarah  Stubbiens] ; 
LUCY,  CLEMENT,  SAMUEL,  of  John  and  Sarah  Stubbiens. 

April  1.  STEPHEN,  of  Sarah  Butler;  REBECCA,  of  Win- 
throp  Saltonstall. 

April  8.  MATHER,  of  Mather  and  Rebecca  Byles;  HAL- 
LAM, of  Nathaniel  and  Hannah  Hempstead;  JANE,  of  James 
Thompson;  ELISABETH  of  Sarah  Ely. 

May  6.     RUSSEL,  of  Mary  Hubbard. 

May  13.     SARAH,  of  Jonathan  and  Elisabeth  Chapel. 

May  20.     GRACE,  of  Manasseh  and  Lydia  Leach. 

June  10.     SARAH,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Latimer. 

June  17.  JOHN,  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Dishon;  HANNAH,  of 
Mary  Fellows. 

July  8.     STEPHEN,  of  Stephen  and  Anna  Prentiss. 

August  26.     JOHN,  of  John  and  Sarah  Stubbiens. 

September  16.     MALSOR,  of  John  Crocker. 

September  30.     SARAH,  of  Nathanael  Waterhous. 

October  7.  RICHARD,  of  Richard  and  Mary  Dishon;  PETER 
BENJAMIN,    and    MARY,    of   Mary    Dishon;    [this    should   be 


530      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

MARY  HARRIS  not  DISHON,  as  Harris  is  the  patronymic 
given  both  these  children  in  Mr.  Byles'  separate  list] ;  JOHN, 
of  Samuel  and  Elisabeth  Lattimer. 

October  29.     HANNAH,  of  Jonathan  and  Jane  Crocker. 

November  4.  GEORGE,  ASA,  ELISABETH,  of  Phebe  Holt; 
BRIDGET  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Morgan. 

November  11.     MARY,  of  Jonathan  and  Jane  Crocker. 

November  18.     SARAH,  of  Jedidiah  and  Sarah  Brown. 

November  25.  LYDIA,  of  Thomas  and  Lydia  Johnson;  ED- 
WARD, of  Richard  and  Esther  Chapman. 

December  2.     DOUGLASS,  of  Elisabeth  Chapman. 

December  9.  EBENEZER,  ELISABETH,  LUCRETIA, 
CHRISTOPHER,  of  Ebenezer,  and  Joanna  Holt. 

December  30.     RUSSEL,  of  Nathanael  and  Love  Coit. 

1765. 

January  13.  GRISWOLD,  of  Jonathan  and  Lucretia  Lati- 
mer; SAMUEL,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Beldin;  STEPHEN,  of 
Stephen  and  Patience  Clay. 

January  20.  ELIZABETH  MORGAN,  A;  BENJAMIN,  of 
Gideon  and  Rebecca  Stacy. 

March  17.  JONATHAN,  of  Richard  and  Anna  Law;  MARY, 
of  Nathan  Douglass. 

April  14.  TURNER,  of  Turner  and  Rebecca  Miner;  MARY, 
of  John  Gardiner. 

May  26.     THOMAS  CLARK,  of  Timothy  and  Rebecca  Green. 

June  23.     ELISABETH,  of  Lydia  Manwaring. 

July  7.     GURDON,  of  Winthrop  Saltonstall. 

August  4.     WALTER,  of  Mather  and  Rebecca  Byles. 

September  1.  JOSEPH,  DANIEL,  GEORGE,  SAMUEL,  of 
Green  Plumb. 

September  29.     HENRY,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Latimer. 

November  10.     JONATHAN,  of  William  and  Mary  Douglass. 

November  17.  STEPHEN  of  John  and  Esther  Douglass; 
LUCY,  of  Jonathan  and  Jane  Crocker. 

November  24.  SAMUEL,  ANN,  THOMAS  of  Thomas  and 
Katherine  Dennison. 


BAPTISMS.  531 

December  1.     JOHN,  of  Samuel  and  Elisabeth  Latimer. 
December  8.     DANIEL,  of  Daniel  and  Lucy  Star. 
December  15.     MARY,  of  George  and  Lucy  Colfax. 
December  29.     KATHERINE  GREEN,  A. 

1766. 

February  28.  ELISABETH,  of  Elisabeth  Hern,  of  Stoning- 
ton. 

March  9.  EPHRAIM,  of  Ephraim  Leach;  PAIN  of  Hannah 
Leach,  [the  name  given  the  child  in  Mr..  Byles's  separate 
list  is.  Pain  Kinyon] ;  JAMES,  HANNAH,  of  Ephraim  and. 
Hannah  Leach;  ELISABETH,  of  Roswel  Saltonstall. 

March  23.     DYAR,  of  Sarah  Harris. 

April  6.     ELEAZER,  MARY,  of  Lucy  Gaylord. 

April  27.     MARTHA,  of  Mary  Hubbard. 

May  11.    MARY,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Hempstead. 

June  15.     ELISABETH,  of  Thomas  and  Katherine  Dennison. 

June  22.  MOSES,  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Dishon;  NATHAN- 
AEL,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Beldin. 

July  1.     HANNAH,  of  Ebenezer  and  Joanna  Holt. 

July  6.    ANN,  of  James  Thompson. 

July  13.     REBECCA,  of  Turner  and  Rebecca  Miner. 

July  27.    JOSEPH,  of  Jonathan  and  Lucretia  Latimer. 

August  17.  DAVID,  of  Stephen  and  Anna  Prentiss;  NATH- 
ANAEL,  of  Nathanael  and  Katherine  Thorp. 

August  24.     LUCRETIA,  of  Nicholas  and  Elisabeth  Hallam. 

August  31.     RICHARD,  of  Lydia  Beebe. 

September  14.     ESTHER,  of  Jonathan  and  Elisabeth  Chapel. 

September  21.     LOVE,  of  Nathanael  and  Love  Coit. 

September  28.     GRACE,  of  George  and  Elisabeth  Douglass. 

November  2.     ELISABETH,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Latimer. 

November  9.    ANN,  of  Gideon  and  Rebecca  Stacy. 

November  16.  CHRISTOPHER,  of  Richard  and  Mary 
Dishon;  ELISABETH,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Simmons. 

1767. 
February  8.    BENJAMIN,  of  Richard  and  Anna  Law. 


532      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

March  1,     ICHABOD,  of  Jedidiah  and  Sarah  Brown. 

March  15.     EUNICE,  of  Daniel  and  Lucy  Star. 

March  22.  LUCY  CHAPMAN  A. ;  MARY  WANTON,  of  Win- 
throp  Saltonstall;  RUSSEL,  of  Nathan  Douglass. 

April  5.  THOMAS,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Coit;  MARY,  of 
Elisabeth  Hern;  SARAH,  of  John  Gardiner. 

May  3.  REBECCA,  of  Thomas  and  Lydia  Johnson;  HAN- 
NAH, of  Lydia  Beebe. 

May  10.  ANNA,  and  ELIZABETH,  of  Mather  and  Rebecca 
Byles. 

May  24.     GILES  of  Nathanael  and  Hannah  Hempsted. 

May  31.     SARAH,  of  Mary  Fellows. 

June  7.    MARY,  of  Sarah  Harris. 

June  21.  At  the  second  society  in  New  London,  LEBBEUS, 
of  Thankful  Baker;  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Throop,  Samuel  Morgan's 
child,  LYDIA. 

July  12.     JOSEPH,  of  John  and  Sarah  Stubbiens. 

July  19.     DANIEL,  and  MARY,  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Holt. 

July  26.     WILLIAM,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Simmons. 

August  2.     SARAH,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Hempsted. 

August  23.     HANNAH,  of  Dudley  and  Frances  Saltonstall. 

October  18.     DANIEL,  of  Manasseh  and  Lydia  Leach. 

October  25.     SARAH,  of  William  and  Mary  Douglass. 

November  1.     ISAIAH,  of  Green  Plumb. 

December  6.     SAMUEL,  of  Stephen  and  Patience  Clay. 

December  27.     RICHARD  ROSWEL,  of  Roswel  Saltonstall. 

1768. 

January  10.  MARY,  of  Nathan  and  Elisabeth  Bailey  in  com- 
munion with  the  first  church  in  Groton,  but  admitted  to  this 
church  after  Mr.  Byles  left;  WILLIAM,  of  David  and  Martha 
Manwaring. 

January  18.  ELISABETH  HACKLEY,  and  THOMAS,  of  Cy- 
prian and  Elisabeth  Waterman;  LUCY,  of  Isaac  Chapel;  MARY, 
of  Isaac  and  Mary  Chapel. 

January  31.     EZRA,  of  Pember  and  Abigail  Calkins. 

February  7.     REBECCA,  of  Ebenezer  and  Joanna  Holt. 


BAPTISMS.  533 

February  14.     LUCRETIA,  of  Turner  and  Rebecca  Minor. 

March  6.  SAMUEL,  of  Timothy  and  Rebecca  Green;  ELISA- 
BETH, of  George  and  Elisabeth  Douglass. 

March  13.     DAVID,  of  Jonathan  and  Jane  Crocker. 

March  20.     SUSANNA,  of  Mary  Hubbard. 

March  27.     RICHARD,  and  ISAAC,  of  Anna  Stubbiens. 

April  3.     SAMUEL,  of  James  Thompson. 

April  10.     NATHANAEL,  of  Jonathan  and  Lucretia  Latimer.. 

April  12,  1768.  The  Revd  Mr.  Byles  Dismist  himself  from 
the  Church  and  Congregation. 

During  the  interim  between  Mr.  Byles  and  Mr.  Woodbridge 
the  following  were  baptized  by  visiting  clergymen. 

May  8.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Throop  of  Norwich  baptized  SAMUEL, 
of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Beldin;  COMSTOCK,  of  Jonathan  and 
Mrs.  Chapell,  and  a  son  of  Capt.  John  Douglass,  whose  name 
is  not  given. 

October  23.  Revd  Joseph  Fish  of  Stonington  baptized  the 
following,  Richard  Law  Esq.  his  child  ANNE;  Joseph  Deshon's- 
child,  JOANNA;  James  Butler's  child,  GRACE;  James  Doug- 
lass his  child,  SYLVANUS;  Jedediah  Brown's  child,  DAVID;. 
Samuel  and  Elisabeth  Harris's  child,  WILLIAM;  Daniel  Holt's 
child,  LUCY;  Isaac  Chapel's  child,  RUTH. 

1769. 

April  2.  The  Revd  Mr.  Benjamin  Throop  of  Norwich  bap- 
tized the  following  children,  viz.,  Nathan  Douglass's  child, 
CHARLES;  Richard  Deshon's  child,  SUSANNAH;  Samuel  Lat- 
timore  Junr  his  child,  GEORGE  GREY;  Thomas  Hempsted's 
child,  JAMES;  John  Gardiner's  child,  MARY;  David  Manwar- 
ing's  child,  REBECCA;  Pember  Calkins's  child,  JOHN. 

VII.     BAPTISMS  BY  EPHRAIM  WOODBRIDGE. 

1769. 

October  15.  DAVID,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Coit;  LUCY,  of 
Daniel  and  Lucy  Star. 

November  5.  CHRISTOPHER,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Latimer; 
REBECCA,  of  Gideon  and  Rebecca  Star. 


534       LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

November  19.    FRANCES,   of  Dudley  and  Frances  Salton- 
stall;  WILLIAM,  of  Ebenezer  and  Joanna  Holt, 
December  4.    LUCY,  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  Harris. 

1770. 

January  15.    DANIEL,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Belding;  Ros- 
well,  of  Roswell  and  Elizabeth  Saltonstall. 

January  22.    ANNE  DUDLEY,  of  Winthrop  and  Anne  Sal- 
tonstall. 

January  24.  MARY,  of  Hannah  and  Ephraim  Leech;  MARY, 
and  RICHARD,  of  Elizabeth  Sherman. 

January  28.    A  CHILD,  of  George  and  Elizabeth  Douglass. 

February  11.     ELIZABETH  and  JOHN,  of  Elizabeth  Shapley. 

April  1.     GEORGE,  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Chapman. 

April  8.     GILES,  of  Nathan  Bailey. 

May  13.     HANNAH,   of  Nathaniel  Thorp. 

June  14.  LYDIA,  JOHN,  DANIEL,  JEREMIAH,  of  Rebecca 
Williams. 

June  17.     SILAS,  of  Pemberton  Calkins. 

July  22.     HANNAH,  of  Stephen  and  Anna  Prentiss. 

July  29.     HANNAH,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Hempsted. 

August  19.     DANIEL,  of  William  Douglass  Junr. 

November  20.     LUCRETIA,  of  Jedediah  and  Sarah  Brown. 

December  2.  JOHN  PRENTICE,  of  Richard  and  Mary 
Deshon. 

December  9.     SUSANNAH,  of  Isaack  and  Mary  Chapil. 

December  16.  DUDLEY,  of  Dudley  and  Frances  Saltonstall; 
SARAH,  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Holt. 

December  30.     WILLIAM  of  Patrick  Roberson. 

January  6.  SAMUEL,  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Latimer; 
HANNAH,  of  David  and  Martha  Manwaring. 

March  24.     WINTHROP,  of  Winthrop  Saltonstall. 

April  28.     LUCRETIA,  of  Lucretia  Saltonstall. 

August  18.  THOMAS,  of  Nathan  and  Anne  Douglass;  JOHN, 
of  Daniel  and  Lucy  Star;  JONATHAN,  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
Coit;  LYDIA,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Latimour. 

September  1.     EZEKIEL,  of  Nathl  and  Catherine  Thorp. 


BAPTISMS.  535 

1771. 

September  15.  WILLIAM,  of  Timothy  and  Rebecca  Green; 
WILLIAM,  of  Ebenezer  and  Joanna  Holt. 

October  8.  JOHN,  of  John  and  Anne  Dyar;  STAR,  of 
Thomas  and  Katherine  Denison. 

November  10.  NATHANIEL  SHAW  of  Ephraim  and  Mary 
Woodbridge. 

November  17.    EUNICE,  of  George  and  Elizabeth  Douglass. 

1772. 

January  12.     MARY,  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Belding. 

April  5.     CATHERINE,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Hempsted. 

May  10.     A  CHILD  of  Pember  and  Abigail  Calkins. 

May  31.     NICHOLAS  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  Chappil. 

June  8.  THOMAS  BRATTLE  of  Dudley  and  Frances  Salton- 
stall. 

July.  REBECCA,  JONATHAN,  of  Jonathan  and  Jane 
Crocker;  LYDIA,  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  Chappel;  JOSHUA, 
ROBERT,  EDWARD,  of  Edward  and  Sarah  Raimond;  SARAH, 
of  Richard  and  Anne  Law. 

August  1.     PETER,  of  Richard  and  Mary  Deshon. 

August  8.     ABIGAIL,  of  Roswel  Saltonstall. 

August  22.    JOSIAH,  of  William  and  Mary  Douglass. 

September.  ZIPPORAH,  of  Cyprian  and  Elizabeth  Water- 
man; A  CHILD,  of  Isaack  and  Mary  Chapil. 

December.     EPHRAIM,  of  Jedediah  and  Sarah  Brown. 

1773. 

July  25.     JEHIEL,  of  Stephen  Miner. 

August  15.     LUCRETIA,  of  Ephraim  and  Mary  Woodbridge. 
August  22.     LUCY,  of  George  Douglass. 

September   20.     RICHARD,    of   Samuel    and    Sarah    Belding; 
CATHERINE,  of  Thomas  and  Katherine  Denison. 
October  17.     PIERPONT,  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Holt. 
November  13.     WILLIAM,  of  Pember  and  Abigail  Caulkins. 

1774. 
February  14.    CHARLES,  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  Chappel. 


536      LATER  HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

March  27.     EUNICE,  of  Richard  and  Anne  Law. 

April.     ELIZABETH,  of  Daniel  and  Lucy  Starr. 

June  12.  MARTHA,  of  David  and  Martha  Manwaring,  by  Mr. 
Thro  op. 

September  4.    AZARIAH,   of  D.   Beebe. 

October  19.     RICHARD,  of  William  and  Mary  Douglass. 

October  24.  SARAH,  HANNAH,  of  Edward  and  Sarah 
Raimond. 

October  30.     LUCY,  of  Richard  and  Mary  Deshon. 

November  20.  EDMUND,  of  Elizabeth  Chapman. 

1775. 

January  1.     KATHERINE,  of  Ebenezer  and  Joanna  Holt. 

January  15.     SARAH,  of  Ephraim  and  Mary  Woodbridge. 

February  13.     ELIZABETH,  SARAH,  of  T.  and  Mary  Deshon. 

February  19.     PHEBE,  of  Samuel  Parsons. 

March  1.     REBECCA,  of  Jedediah  and  Sarah  Brown. 

April  9.     JOHN,  SARAH,  HENERY,  of  Susanna  Owen. 

April  30.     WILLIAM,  of  Rebecca  Rynd. 

May  7.  ESTHER,  WILLIAM,  HANNAH,  DESIRE,  JOHN, 
DAVID,  of  Susanna  Hall. 

May  8.  EZEKIEL,  of  Cyprian  and  Elizabeth  Waterman; 
JOSHUA,  of  Isaack  and  Mary  Chappil. 

June  25.  ELIZABETH  of  Pember  and  Abigail  Calkins,  bap- 
tized by  Mr.  Grover, 

September  24.  ABIAH,  of  George  and  Elizabeth  Douglass; 
Daniel  Starr's  child,  RICHARD. 

October  8.  Patrick  Roberson's  child  SAMUEL;  Samuel  Bel- 
den's  child  ESTHER. 

November  5.     Stephen  Miner's  child,  UNICE. 

November  19.     Henry  Latimer's  child,  MARY. 

1776. 

March  17.     Thomas  Coit's   child,   CHARLES. 
March   31.     Green  Plumb's   child,   MARGARET. 
September  6.     Mr.  Woodbridge  died.    The  following  are  bap- 
tisms during  the  vacancy. 


BAPTISMS.  537 

1777. 

June  8th.  Thomas  Hempstead's  child,  LUCRETIA;  George 
Douglass's  child,  LYDIA;  Pember  Calkins's  child,  WILLIAM; 
Richard  Deshon's  child,  SARAH;  Samuel  Belden's  child,. 
SARAH;  Timothy  Green's  child,  ELIZABETH. 

September  14th.  Stephen  Prentiss's  child,  SARAH;  Henry 
Latimer's  child,  DAVID;  Joshua  Bradley's  child,  SALLY r 
David  Manwaring's  child,  GURDON;  Daniel  Star's  child,  ELIZ- 
ABETH; Isaac  Chapel's  child,  REBECCA. 

1780. 

September  13th.  Lucy  Star's  child,  JAMES  NICHOLSON;. 
George  Douglass's  child,  EMILIA. 

1781. 

April   2d.     Thomas  Coit's   child,   HENRY. 

April  17th.  Daniel  Douglass  and  his  wife  Lydia's  children, 
EDMOND,  LYDIA;  Edward  Raymond's  children,  SARAH, 
EDWARD;  George  Douglass's  child,  GEORGE;  Stephen  Ray- 
mond's child,  STEPHEN. 

September  30th.     Samuel  Morgan  Junr  his  children  MEHIT-^ 

ABEL,  SAMUEL. 

1782. 

June  25th.  The  Rev.  Benjamin  Throop  of  Norwich  bap- 
tized, LUCRETIA,   of  Thomas  and  Mary  Hempstead;   GILES, 

of  Danl  and  Mary  Holt. 

1783. 

June  29th.     George  and  Elizabeth  Douglass's  child,  CHRIS- 
TOPHER; Daniel  Douglass's  child,  GILBERT. 
July  2d.     Thomas  Hempstead's  child,  name  not  given. 

1785. 
August  7th.     Daniel  Douglass's  child,   BENJAMIN. 

VIII.     BAPTISMS  BY  REV.  HENRY  CHANNING. 

1787. 
June      17.     WILLIAM      SAMUEL,      of      Eunice      Richards; 
CHRISTOPHER,   of  Daniel  and  Lydia  Douglass. 


538       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

July  1..     EDWARD,  of  Amasa  Learned. 

July  15.     JAMES,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Coit. 

August  5.  JOSEPH,  EDWARD,  MARY,  CHRISTOPHER, 
STEPHEN,  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Hempstead. 

August  12.  LUCY,  SUSANNAH,  of  David  and  Martha 
Manwaring;  LYDIA,  JOSEPH,  of  Louis  Maniere. 

August   17.     PHEBE,   of  Robert   and   Elizabeth   Manwaring. 

August  29.     GEORGE,  of  Samuel  and  Rhoda  Wettemore. 

September  2.  SALLY  ESTHER,  MOLLY,  JOHN,  ANNE, 
JONATHAN,  KATHERINE,  of  Esther  Prentis;  ANN,  LUCY, 
EMILY,  EBENEZER,  of  Ebenezer  Lester;  WILLIAM,  of  Jacob 
Stockman. 

September  9.  DEBORAH,  CHRISTOPHER,  FANNY,  ELIZ- 
ABETH, LUCRETIA,  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Manwaring. 

September  23.     ROBERT,  of  Joshua  Coit. 

September  24.     DEBORAH,  of  John  and  Deborah  Tilley. 

October  3.  RICHARD,  SARAH,  THEODA,  GILES.  ICHA- 
BOD,  of  Jonathan  Crocker;  SARAH,   of  Mary  Craig. 

October  24.     DUDLEY,  of  John  S.  and  Henrietta  Miller. 

October  29.  JOSHUA,  MARTHA,  of  Dudley  and  Frances 
Saltonstall. 

November  18.  HUBBEL,  ABIGAIL,  THADDEUS,  ELIZA- 
BETH, of  Thaddeus  and  Abigail  Brooks. 

December  2.  REBECCA,  JEREMIAH,  HANNAH,  HENRY, 
of  Sperry  and  Rebecca  Douglass;  GURDON,  HENRIETTA,  of 
John  S.  and  Henrietta  Miller. 

December  18.  ABIGAIL,  JONATHAN,  of  Isaac  Chapel  Junr; 
JEDEDIAH,  MARY,  of  Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 

December  19.  SARAH,  HANNAH,  ESTHER,  ROBERT, 
GRACE,  ABIGAIL,  of  Grace  Douglas,  wife  of  Thomas;  SALLY, 
EDWARD  RAYMOND,  of  Moses  and  Mehitable  Warren;  GUY, 
of  Mary  Morgan,  wife  of  Stephen. 

December  30.  JOHN,  WILLIAM,  LYDIA,  THOMAS  ADAMS, 
of  Anne  Champlin,  wife  of  John;  LYDIA,  of  Joshua  Coit. 

1788. 
January  27.     MARTHA,  MATTHEW,  HENRY,  RICHARD,  of 


BAPTISMS.  539 

Turner  and  Rebecca  Minor;  ABIGAIL,  LUCY,  PATTY,  FRAN- 
CIS, MARY,  NATHAN,  of  Ebenezer  and  Abigail  Douglass; 
LUCY,  SARAH,  ANNE,  JOHN,  GEORGE  ROBBINS,  WIL- 
LIAM, of  George  and  Mary  Colfax. 

April  6.  ELIZABETH,  SARAH,  EUNICE,  JOHN  WIL- 
LIAMS, of  James  and  Dorcas  Beebe;  DANIEL,  of  Samuel  and 
Rhoda  Wettemore. 

May  4.     MARTHA,   of  Martha  Wright. 

June  1.  HANNAH,  STEPHEN,  SOPHIA,  HARRY,  of  Ste- 
phen and  Hannah  Holt;  ELIZABETH,  NATHANIEL,  ANN\, 
CHRISTOPHER  MANWARING,  of  Nathaniel  Hempsted;  BEN- 
JAMIN, ABIGAIL,  DAVID,  ELIZABETH,  COIT,  JEREMIAH, 
of  Benjamin  Rogers. 

June  29.  LODOWIC  PETER,  SAMUEL,  GUY  RICHARDS, 
of  Mary  Champlin. 

July  1.  CHRISTOPHER,  EUNICE,  PATTY,  of  Christopher 
and  Grace  Brown. 

July  27.  NABBY,  EUNICE,  PHEBE,  CONSTANT  FREE- 
MAN, of  Elizabeth  Holt;  NANCY,  JOSEPH,  of  Anne  Champ- 
lin; JOHN,  HANNAH,  MARTHA,  of  Hannah  Rogers. 

September  4.     HENRY  of  Ebenezer  Lester. 

September  14.  THOMAS,  EBENEZER,  MOSES,  of  Sally 
Bishop;  DAVID,  of  Martha  Wright. 

September  21.  HENRY  WILLIAM,  of  Henry  and  Sally 
Channing. 

October  19.     HENRIETTA,  of  Eunice  and  W.  Richards. 

November  16.  JOHN  WOODWARD,  of  Ebenezer  and  Abigail 
Douglass. 

November  19.     HARRY  LEONIDAS,  of  Esther  Prentis. 

December  7.     FRANCES,  of  John  S.  and  Henrietta  Miller. 

1789. 

January  1.  ALEXANDER  PYGAN,  of  Anne,  wife  of  John 
Champlin. 

January  13.    MARIA,  of  Mary,  wife  of  Stephen  Morgan. 

February  23.  JONATHAN,  ISAAC,  CHARLES,  of  Titus  and 
Lucy  Whipple. 


540       LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

March  15.  ANNE,  CATHERINE  RICHARDS,  of  Esther, 
wife  of  Archibald  Robinson;  ELIZABETH  HARRIS,  of  Alex- 
ander Richards. 

April  5.  SAMUEL,  of  Samuel  and  Rhoda  Whittemore;  SU- 
SANNA, RICHARD,  of  Nathaniel  and  Susannah  Hempstead. 

April  12.    WILLIAM,  of  Thaddeus  and  Abigail  Brooks. 

August  11.     REBECCA,  of  Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 

November  8.  SARAH,  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Hempstead; 
WILLIAM,  of  Daniel  and  Lydia  Douglass;  JAMES,  of  James 
and  Dorcas  Beebe. 

November  29.     LEONARD,  of  Joshua  Coit. 

December  6.     REBECCA,  of  Louis  and  Rebecca  Maniere. 

December  13.     THOMAS  SHAW,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Chan- 

ning. 

1790. 

January  3.     CHARLES  SPOONER,  of  Jacob  Stockman. 

February  14.     BENJAMIN  HEMPSTEAD  Ai 

February  28.  ELIZABETH,  BENJAMIN,  ANNA,  CHARLES 
TURNER,  HENRY,  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Hempstead. 

March  28.     ELIZABETH  SIMMONS  A. 

March  29.    AMASA,   of  Samuel  Morgan  Junr. 

June  13.     NANCY,  of  Titus  and  Lucy  Whipple. 

June  20.  EDMUND,  of  Benjamin  Rogers;  SALLY, 
CHARLES,  NANCY,  LUCINDA,  of  Chapman  and  Elizabeth 
Simmons. 

August  1.     CHARLOTTE,   of  George  and  Mary  Colfax. 

August  5.  ELIZABETH,  of  John  S.  and  Henrietta  Miller; 
JOHN,  of  John  and  Lucy  Coit. 

August  8.  ELIZABETH,  of  Ebenezer  and  Abigail  Douglass; 
ELIZABETH,  FANNY,  of  Oliver  Chapman. 

October  7.     MARY  HUBBARD,   of  Martha  Wright. 

October  13.     ISAAC,  of  Isaac  Chapel  Junr. 

October  18.     HENRY,  of  Sarah  Bliss. 

October  24.  HARRIET,  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Hemp- 
stead. 

*A  means  adult. 


BAPTISMS.  541 

October  26.  BETSEY  STIRLING,  of  Lemuel  and  Sarah  Lee; 
AMASA,  CLARISSA,  children  of  William  Banning  deceased, 
being  bound,  and  of  the  household  of  Lemuel  and  Sarah  Lee, 
were  by  them  devoted  to  God. 

November  21.  PATTY  WAIT  A;  JOHN  LATTIMORE,  Of 
Lucretia,  wife  of  Nathaniel  Saltonstall;  MARVIN,  PATTY 
JONES,  HARRIET,  RICHARD,  of  Patty,  wife  of  Marvin  Wait. 

1791. 

March  13.  GEORGE,  of  George  D.  and  Mary  Avery;  MARY, 
of  Hannah,  wife  of  John  Rogers. 

April  1.     MARY,  of  Anne,  wife  of  John  Champlin. 

April  14.     GRACE,  of  Christopher  and  Grace  Brown. 

May  5.  THOMAS  ARCHIBALD,  of  Esther,  wife  of  Archibald 
Robinson. 

May  8.     LUCRETIA  TREBY  A. 

May  13.     SALLY,    of   Ebenezer   and   Ann  Lester. 

May  22.  JACOB,  of  Jacob  Stockman;  LUCRETIA,  NABBY, 
CHARLOTTE,  of  Lucretia  and  Isaac  Treby;  HANNAH,  GUR- 
DON  FLOWER,  presented  by  Nathaniel  Hempstead  Senr.  their 
grandfather,  being  under  his  care. 

June  16.     ELIZABETH,  of  Eunice  and  William  Richards. 

June  19.     SARAH,  of  Daniel  and  Lydia  Douglass. 

July  24.     MARY  ANNE,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Channing. 

August  14.     BENJAMIN,  of  Louis  and  Rebecca  Maniere. 

September  10.     JOHN,  of  Sarah  and  Abraham  Bliss. 

September  11.     NANCY,  of  Samuel  and  Rhoda  Whittemore. 

November  6.     GEORGE,  of  Lucretia  and  Isaac  Treby. 

November  13.  THOMAS,  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Hempstead; 
MARY,  of  Thaddeus  and  Abigail  Brooks. 

December  13.     ELIZABETH  DOUGLASS  A. 

December  20.     OLIVER,  of  Patty  and  Marvin  Wait. 

1792. 

January  8.     MARY,  of  George  and  Mary  Colfax. 
February  5.     LUCRETIA,  of  John  and  Lucy  Coit. 
February  19.     FANNY,   of  Joshua  Coit. 


542       LATER  HISTORY   OF  THE   FIRST  CHURCH. 

February  26.     PATTY,  of  Chapman  and  Elizabeth  Simmons. 

July  22d.  CATHERINE  SHELDON  A;  SARAH  EDMUNDS 
A,  by  immersion. 

September  18.     ANNE,  of  Lydia  Manwaring. 

September  20.  ELIZABETH  HOWARD,  of  Archibald  and 
Esther  Robinson. 

October  7.     HANNAH,  of  Nathaniel  Hempstead  2nd. 

October  28.     RICHARD,  of  John  S.  and  Henrietta  Miller. 

November  6.     DAVID,  of  Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 

December  9.     LYDIA  RICHARDS  A. 

December  16.  WALTER  McCURDY,  of  Henry  and  Sarah 
Channing. 

December  30.  JOHN  SEABURY,  of  Oliver  Chapman;  JULIA, 
of  Ebenezer  and  Abigail  Douglass. 

1793. 

January  3.     LUCRETIA,  of  Benjamin  Rogers. 

May  10.     MARGARET  BWOYD  A,  by  immersion. 

May  12.  PHILIP,  CHRISTOPHER,  of  Mary  and  Philip 
Allen. 

May  22.     MOSES  FARGO  A,  aged  78. 

June  9.    WILLIAM  SALMON,  of  Hannah  and  John  Rogers. 

June  14.     SAMBO,  a  negro  A. 

August  1.     EUNICE,  of  Eunice  and  Picket  Latimer. 

August  5.     GEORGE,  of  Mary  and  John  Bishop. 

November  21.  SUSANNAH,  of  Jacob  and  Susannah  Stock- 
man; EBENEZER,  of  John  and  Hannah  Arnold. 

December  1.     EMILIA,  of  Samuel  and  Rhoda  Whittemore. 

December  30.     GEORGE,  of  Isaac  Chapel  2d. 

1794. 

January  2.    JOHN,  of  John  and  Lucy  Coit. 

January  20.  CHARLOTTE,  of  Christopher  and  Grace 
Brown;  LUFANNY,  of  Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 

March  27.  GEORGE  RICHARDS,  of  Esther  and  Archibald 
Robinson;  MARY,  of  Lucretia  and  Isaac  Treby. 

April  1.    WILLIAM,  of  Sarah  and  Abraham  Bliss. 


BAPTISMS.  543 

April  6.     WILLIAM,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Channing. 

April  26.  LYDIA  CHADWICK,  of  Louis  and  Rebecca  Man- 
iere. 

May  4.  FANNY,  WILLIAM,  JEREMY,  SARAH,  of  Frances 
and  William  Briggs;  MEHITABEL,  BETSY,  of  Mehitabel  and 
Daniel  Chapman;  BETSY,  WILLIAM  HEMPSTEAD,  of  Pa- 
tience and  Japhet  Mason;  BETSY,  JOHN,  of  Elizabeth  and 
Ebenezer  Prentis. 

May  8.  BENJAMIN,  MERIT,  NANCY,  EBENEZER,  SIM- 
EON, of  Deborah  and  Merit  Rockwell;  FREDERIC,  of  Eunice 
and  William  Richards;  HANNAH  PICKET,  of  Eunice  and 
Picket  Latimer.    . 

May  18.     POLLY,  of  Lydia  and  John  Manwaring. 

June  1.  EBENEZER,  of  Lucretia  Prince,  then  wife  of 
Ebenezer  Colfax;  KIMBALL,  JOHN,  WILLIAM,  EDWARD,  of 
Kimball  and  Lucretia  Prince;  BETSY  PITMAN,  WILLIAM 
GREEN,  SOPHIA,  of  Henry  and  Olive  Tarbos. 

June  22.  THANKFUL  MORGAN,  A;  DANIEL  WITHER- 
LEY,  of  Daniel  and  Lydia  Douglass. 

July  22.  ESTHER,  EBENEZER,  THOMAS,  ISAAC,  ANNA, 
SARAH,  of  Eleazer  and  Anna  Brown;  HETTY,  of  Moses  anJ 
Mehitabel  Warren. 

August  17.  GURDON,  CHESTER,  RICHARD,  of  Chester 
Kimball. 

September  18.     GEORGE,  of  George  and  Mary  Colfax. 

September  28.  LYDIA,  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Hemp- 
stead. 

October  12.  NATHANIEL,  MARY,  MARTHA,  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  Holt;  THADDEUS,  of  Thaddeus  and  Abigail  Brooks- 
November  13.     LEVI,  of  John  and  Mary  Bishop. 

1795. 

February  12.    ANNE,  of  Benjamin  Rogers. 
April  5.     EDWIN,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Channing. 
May  7.     LUCRETIA,   GILES,   of  Giles  and  Lucretia  Hemp- 
stead; ANNA,  of  Oliver  Chapman. 
June  25.     SALLY,  of  Abraham  and  Sarah  Bliss;  FREDER- 


■544        LATER   HISTORY   OF   THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

ICK,  of  Kimball  and  Lucretla  Prince;  HENRY,  of  John  and 
Hannah  Rogers. 

July  5.     NANCY,  of  Joshua  and  Nancy  Colt. 

July  13.     DANIEL,  of  Daniel  and  Mehitabel  Chapman. 

August  2.  JANETTE,  GEORGE,  of  John  and  Experience 
Gordon. 

August  6.  THOMAS,  of  Archibald  and  Esther  Robinson;  JA- 
COB, of  Jacob  and  Rebecca  Chany. 

September  20.     LYDIA,  of  Eleazer  and  Anna  Brown. 

October  28.  HANNAH  SALTONSTALL,  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  W.  Coit. 

November  26.     MARY  WILSON,  of  Jacob  Stockman. 

December  2.     EUNICE,  of  George  and  Esther  Morgan. 

1796. 

January  10.  ELISHA,  NANCY,  of  Elisha  and  Abigail  Kin- 
man. 

February  18.     ELIZABETH,  of  Merit  and  Deborah  Rockwell. 

March  20.     HENRY,  of  Christopher  and  Grace  Brown. 

March  31.  ANNE,  of  Ebenezer  and  Abigail  Douglass; 
PICKET,  of  Picket  and  Eunice  Latimer. 

April  3.     HENRY,  of  Isaac  Chapel  2d. 

April  10.  JULIA,  of  John  and  Hannah  Arnold;  JOHN  MC- 
CURDY,  of  Henry  and  Sarah  Channing;  WILLIAM,  of  George 
D.  and  Mary  Avery. 

July  3.     LUCY,  of  Chester  Kimball. 

August  11.     ISAAC,  of  Isaac  and  Lucretia  Treby. 

October  18.     CHARLOTTE,  of  Charles  Soul. 

November    17.     ALVAN    FOSDICK,    of    Samuel    and    Rhoda 

Whittemore. 

1797. 

February   23.     MARY,    of   Benjamin   Rogers;   WILLIAM,    of 
Chapman  and  Elizabeth  Simmons. 
March  5.     HARRIET,  of  Archibald  and  Esther  Robinson. 
April  6.     LUCINDA,   of  Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 
May    31.     AUGUSTA    DUDLEY,    of    Thomas    and    Mary    W. 


BAPTISMS.  545 

Coit;  MARY  HALL.AM,  WILLIAM  WANTON,  of  Gurdon  and 
Hannah  Saltonstall. 

June  6.     ELIZABETH,  of  John  and  Hannah  Rogers. 

June  18.     SUSANNAH,  of  Sampson  and  Rose  Cato. 

June  25.     RICHARD,  of  John  and  Lucy  Coit. 

June  29.  MARTHA,  DAVID  BILL,  SALLY  BROOKS,  JOHN, 
of  Nathaniel  and  Elizabeth  Dickinson;  RACHEL  WRIGHT. 
SUSANNAH  FRYERS,  of  Ezekiei  and  Susannah  Fox;  SAM- 
UEL BOOTH  of  Giles  Hempstead. 

July  13.    MARTHA,  MARY,  of  Grace  Ryon. 

August  4.     JEREMIAH,  of  John  and  Mary  Bishop. 

August  14.  MARY  PARK,  ABIGAIL,  JOSEPH  FRANCIS, 
CHARLES  HEMPSTEAD,  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Sisson. 

September  21.  FANNY  LEEDS,  of  Thaddeus  and  Abigail 
Brooks;  HENRY  LIVINGSTONE,  of  William  and  Eunice 
Richards. 

October  8.  ALEXANDER  STEWART,  WALTER,  of  Henry 
and  Sally  Channing. 

October  25.     LEMUEL,  SAMUEL,  of  Lemuel  and  Sarah  Lee. 

November  9.  SALLY,  LUCRETIA,  RICHARD,  HARRIET, 
of  Richard  and  Sally  Chapel. 

December  12.  HENRY,  LUCY  GOODWIN,  of  Henry  John- 
son. 

1798. 

January  4.     ELIZABETH,  of  George  and  Mary  Colfax. 

January  16.     SUSANNAH,  of  John  and  Martha  Smyth. 

April  7.  LOUISA  MARY,  ROBERT  COLFAX, 'of  Ebenezer 
and  Anne  Lester. 

April  12.  OLIVER,  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Sisson;  FANNY 
LOUISA,  of  John  and  Hannah  Arnold. 

May  24.     REBECCA,  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  Chany. 

May  26.     ELIZA,  of  Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 

July  5.  MARY  CATHERINE,  of  Archibald  and  Esther  Rob- 
inson; NANCY,  of  Isaac  Chapel  Junr;  SHUBAEL  RAYMOND, 
of  Shubael  and  Sally  Smith. 

August  8.     SAMUEL,  MARY,  of  Henry  and  Lucretia  Youngs. 

August  23.    ELIZABETH  LUCAS,  of  Picket  and  Eunice  Lat- 


546      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

imer;  WILLIAM,  of  John  and  Lucy  Coit;  THOMAS  GOODWIN, 
of  Henry  Johnson;  SUSAN,  of  Joshua  and  Nancy  Coit; 
THOMAS  HUBBARD,  of  David  and  Martha  Wright. 

December  28.  GEORGE  DUDLEY,  of  Lemuel  and  Sarah 
Lee. 

1799. 

February  14.  WILLIAM  PENNIMAN,  of  Isaac  and  Lucre- 
tia  Treby;  FANNY  BROOKS,  of  Amos  and  Abigail  Leeds. 

[Being  in  Charleston,  County  of  Ontario,  State  of  New  York, 
and  at  Geneva  in  the  same  county,  baptized  the  following. 
At  Charleston; 

June  30.  JUDITH  wife  of  Stephen  Tinker  A;  LUCRETIA 
KINNEY,  of  Stephen    Tinker;  LOVINA,     of  Clark  Brockway. 

July  2.  At  Seneca:  BETSEY  and  JANE,  children  of  Job 
and  Jane  Barry. 

At  Geneva  July  3.     JOHN,   of  Walter  and    Janet    Grimes.] 

July  25.     PATTY  ELIZA,  of  Marvin  and  Patty  Wait. 

July  28.  BENJAMIN,  of  Benjamin  Rogers;  MARIA,  of  Chap- 
man and  Elizabeth  Simmons;  SOPHIA,  HARRIET,  CHARLES, 
SALLY,  GUY,  FANNY,  ELIZA,  of  Guy  and  Hannah  Richards. 

October  27.     MARY,  of  Joshua  and  Lucy  Star. 

October  29.    LUCRETIA,  of  Christopher  and  Grace  Brown. 

1800. 

January  2.  THOMAS  WAY,  RICHARD  DOUGLASS,  of  Dan- 
iel and  Hannah  Starr. 

January  5.  ANN  ELIZABETH,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Edgar; 
THOMAS  EDGAR,  DANIEL,  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Lee. 

April  3.     JULIA  ANN,  of  Jonathan  Law. 

April  6.  SALLY  AUSTIN,  JANE  SMITH,  JOSEPH,  JOHN 
FRANKS,  of  Joseph  and  Marcy  Phillips. 

May  15.  CHRISTOPHER,  of  Kimball  and  Lucretia  Prince; 
DANIEL,  EZRA,  SAMUEL  BOOTH,  of  Ezra  and  Elizabeth 
Dodge. 

June  1.  NATHANIEL  SHAW,  THOMAS  SHAW,  LUCRETIA 
WOODBRIDGE,  ELLEN  ELIZABETH,  of  Elias  and  Lucretia 
Perkins. 


BAPTISMS.  547 

July  14.     DANIEL,  GURDON,  of  Deborah  Rockwell. 

July  27.     ELIZABETH,  of  Elizabeth  and  Joseph  Sisson. 

July  31.    NANCY,  of  John  and  Lucy  Coit. 

August  7.     ELISHA,   of  Richard  and   Sally  Chapel. 

August  10.     ELIZA,  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Hamilton. 

November  16.     SALLY  FIELD  GREEN  A;  MARY  WOLCOTT 

A. 

November  20.     PETER,  of  Picket  and  Eunice  Latimer. 

December  26.     FREDERIC  WILLIAM  of  Amos  and  Abigail 

Leeds. 

1801. 

March  15.     WILLIAM  POOL,  of  Samuel  and  Sally  F.  Green. 

May  31.     LUCY  WAY  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  Starr. 

July  2.     WILLIAM,  of  Stephen  and  Mary  Hempstead. 

August  20.  MARY  WATERMAN,  JOHN,  of  Chester  and 
Lucy  Kimball;  HARRIET,  of  Giles  and  Lucretia  Hempstead; 
EZEKIEL  TURNER,  of  Ezekiel  and  Susannah  Fox;  MARY 
ANN,  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  Chaney. 

August  27.  OLIVER  ELLSWORTH,  of  Elias  and  Lucretia 
S.  Perkins. 

September  17.  CHARLES  EDWARD,  of  Shubael  and  Sally 
Smith. 

September  25.    JOHN,  of  Henry  and  Lucretia  Youngs. 

October  1.     CHARLES,  of  Benjamin  Rogers. 

November  6.     FANNY,  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Phillips. 

December  1.     REBECCA  JENNISON,  of  Henry  Johnson. 

December  6.     LUCY,  of  John  and  Lucy  Coit. 

December    31.     ELIZABETH    HUNTINGTON     of    Ebenezer 

and  Mary  Dimon;  HENRY  AUGUSTUS,  of  Peter  and  Ann  C. 

Richards. 

1802. 

February  1.    ADALINE,  of  Isaac  and  Lucretia  Treby. 
February  7.     SABRA,  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Sisson. 
February   28.     JAMES,   ALBERT,   URBAN,    COURTLANDT, 
MORTIMER,  of  James  and  Katherine  Edgerton. 
March  [no  date].    MARTHA,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  W.  Colt.. 


548      LATER  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

April  1.  JASON,  FRANCES,  GRACE,  ANNE  ALLEN,  JON- 
ATHAN, MARY,  of  Jason  and  Frances  Rogers. 

April  2.     HENRY  HUBBIL,  of  Amos  and  Abigail  Leeds. 

April  29.  THOMAS  HENRY,  of  Thomas  Henry  and  Mary 
Goddard;  MARY,  of  John  and  Mary  French. 

August  18.     SUSAN,  of  Israel  and  Susan  Geer. 

September  7.  ELIZABETH,  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Chapel; 
SALLY  LUTITIA,  of  James  and  Rebecca  Tinker. 

October  5.     FRANCES  ANN,  of  Coleby  and  Frances  Chew. 
October    26.        SALLY    RAYMOND,    of    Shubael    and    Sally 
Smith;  MIRANDA,  of  Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 

November  11.     LUCRETIA,  of  Picket  and  Eunice  Latimer. 
December  24.     COLEBY,  of  Coleby  and  Frances  Chew. 

1803. 

February  10.  LUCRETIA  HAVENS,  of  Stephen  and  Jerusha 
Holt. 

March  13.     SALLY  PITMAN,  A. 

June  26.     JOSHUA,  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  Starr. 

July  25.     MARTHA  ANN,  of  Alexander  C.  and  Martha  Wylly. 

July  31.    WOLCOTT,  of  Peter  and  Ann    C.   Richards. 

August  4.  JOHN  CROCKER,  SALLY,  of  James  and  Sally 
Pitman. 

August  11.  FREDERICK  WILLIAM,  SUSANNAH,  of  Chris- 
topher and  Susannah  Griffing. 

August  28.  THOMAS  WINTHROP,  of  Thomas  and  Mary  W. 
Coit. 

October  3.    AMEY,  of  John  and  Mary  Turner. 

November  10.    HENRY,  of  John  and  Mary  Bishop. 

November  20.  JOHN  OWEN,  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca 
Chaney. 

December  18.  HENRY,  FRANCIS,  LUCY,  AUSTIN  ROB- 
BINS,  of  John  and  Lucy  Gordon;  AMOS,  of  Amos  and  Abigail 
Leeds. 

December  21.    HARRIETT,  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Sisson. 


BAPTISMS.  549 

1804. 

January  4.    JULIA  HUBBARD,  of  Jireh  and  Lucretia  Isham. 

February  16.  ABIGAIL  HOLT,  of  Chester  and  Lucy  Kim- 
ball. 

April  1.     PHILETUS  HAVENS,  of  Stephen  and  Jerusha  Holt. 

May  27.  HANNAH  ELIZABETH,  of  Ezekiel  and  Susannah 
Fox. 

June  24.    LYDIA,  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Chapel. 

August  19.     HENRY,  of  John  and  Lucy  Coit. 

September  6.  LUCY,  JARED  MINER,  MARY,  of  John  and 
Susannah  Chapman. 

October  14.    EMILINE,  of  Asa  and  [no  name]  Button. 

1805. 

January  1.  MARY,  HANNAH,  ELIZA,  FANNY,  WILLIAM 
GRANT,  of  William  and  Mary  Wheat;  JOHN  MERRILLS,  of 
John  and  Susannah  Chapman. 

April  4.     EMELINE,  of  John  and  Lucy  Gordon. 

May  27.     CHARLES  EDWARD,  of  Shubael  and  Sally  Smith. 

July  11.    CHANNING,  of  Peter  and  Ann  C.  Richards. 

August  28.  FREDERICK  JOHN,  of  George  Frederick  and 
Deborah  Harper. 

September  1.  SALLY  ROCKWELL,  of  Ezra  and  Wealthy 
Chappell. 

September  2.  CATHERINE  ELIZABETH,  ELLEN,  of  James 
and  Catherine  Edgerton. 

October  13.  CAROLINE,  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  Starr;  ED- 
WIN, of  Stephen  and  Jerusha  Holt;  RICHARD,  of  Alexander 
C,  and  Martha  Wylly. 

October    18.     PTOLEMY    HAVENS,    of    Jabez    and    Abigail 

Munsell. 

1806. 

January  5.    JESSE,  of  John  and  Susannah  Chapman. 

February  23.  CHARLOTTE,  JOHN  CAULKINS,  DAVID 
GARDINER,  ELIZABETH,  of  David  and  Elizabeth  Coit. 

May  4.  JOHN  ELDRIDGE,  FRANCES,  MARY,  CALVIN,  of 
John  and  Fanny  Chester;  JOHN  WAY,  LEONARD,  LUCY 
WAY,  OVANDO,  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  Sistare. 


^50      LATER  HISTORY  OF   THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

May  12.  ALDEN,  of  John  and  Fanny  Chester;  FANNY, 
of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Sisson;  NANCY,  of  John  and  Lucy 
Coit. 

May  13.  JOHN  MULFORD,  of  Picket  and  Eunice  Latimer; 
ELIZA,  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  Chaney. 

May  18.  HARRIET,  of  Chester  and  Lucy  Kimball;  EMILY, 
of  Richard  and  Sally  Chapel. 

May  19.    JOHN  CARTER,  of  James  and  Rebecca  Tinker. 

May  20.    JANE,  of  Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 

Mr.  Channing  administered  the  rite  of  baptism  to  575  per- 
sons. Very  few  adults  were  baptized  who  did  not  at  the  time 
join  the  church  on  confession  of  faith.  There  is  no  record 
which  says  that  parents  having  entered  into  or  renewed  their 
covenant,  had  their  children  baptized.  In  most  cases  at  least 
one  of  the  parents  was  in  full  communion  with  some  church. 

IX.     BAPTISMS  BY  ABEL  McEWEN. 

1806. 

November  8.    JONATHAN  HAVENS,   of  Jabez  and  Abigail 

Munsell. 

November    23.     ELIZABETH    RICHARDS,    of    Thomas    and 

Mary  Coit. 

1807. 

March  13.     ELIAS  BUTLER,  of  Elisha  and  Martha  Watrous. 

March  26.    ELIZABETH  KIP,  of  Stephen  and  Jerusha  Holt. 

April  14.     HANNAH  EMELINE,  of  Shubael  and  Sally  Smith. 

April  26.     HENRY  CECIL,  of  Nathaniel  and  Rebecca  Dwight. 

May  10.  GILES,  WILLIAM,  ROBERT  NEWSON,  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  Tate. 

May  31.  HARRIET  LEWIS,  of  William  P.  and  Abby  Cleave- 
land. 

June  7.     MARIA  ARNOLD,  of  Ezra  and  Wealthy  Chappell. 

July  5.  MARTHA,  CATHERINE,  ZEBEDIAH,  of  Zebediah 
and  Catherine  Rogers. 

September  13.  MARIA,  CHARLES,  of  Charles  and  Sally 
Tainter. 


BAPTISMS.  551 

November  15.  ANN  HUNTINGTON,  of  Peter  and  Ann  C. 
Richards. 

December  5.  CHARLES  CHAUNCEY,  of  Asa  and  Clarissa 
Button. 

December  10.  MARY,  ELIZA,  NANCY,  ABBY,  CHAR- 
LOTTE, of  William  and  Betsey  Hargill. 

1808. 

March  13.  ERASTUS,  CAROLINE,  of  Jason  and  Francis 
Rogers. 

May  1.  HORACE,  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  Sistare;  FRANK- 
LIN, of  Daniel  and  Hannah  Starr;  MARIAN,  WILLIAM  RICH- 
ARDS, of  Lucy  Leeds. 

May  23.     JULIA,  of  David  and  Elizabeth  Coit. 

June  26.  JENNY,  BENJAMIN  SMITH,  WILLIAM,  MARY, 
of  Scipio  and  Jenny  Anderson. 

July  14.    JANE,  JAMES,  of  Daniel  and  Jennet  Keeney. 

July  24.    RIAL,  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  Chaney. 

July  31.  HARRIET,  of  Zebediah  and  Catherine  Rogers; 
ELIZABETH,  MARIAN,  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Gale. 

August  14.     HENSON,  of  Paddy  and  Betsey  Allen. 

August  21.  CORNELIA,  of  Ezra  and  Wealthy  Chappell; 
ABBY  SOPHIA,  of  Charles  and  Sally  Tainter;  JOSEPH,  ANN 
MARIA,  EDWARD,  GRACE,  SALLY  DESHON,  of  Joseph  and 
Sally  Manning;  LUCRETIA,  of  Daniel  and  Grace  Hempstead. 

September  11.  ROBERT,  of  Abel  and  Sally  McEwen,  by 
the  Rev.  Joshua  Huntington  of  Boston. 

September  26.  GEORGE  PAYNE,  of  William  P.  and  Abby 
Cleaveland. 

December  6.  MARY  REBECCA,  of  James  and  Rebecca 
Tinker;  WILLIAM  GAGE,  of  David  and  Lucy  Manwaring. 

1809. 

January  13.  LEONARD  CHRISTOPHERS,  of  Shubael  and 
Sally  Smith. 

February  10.  GURDON  SALTONSTALL  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  Coit. 


552      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE   FIRST   CHURCH. 

June  12.  CHARLOTTE  LOUISA,  of  Ralph  and  Charlotte 
Stoddard. 

July  21.  NATHANIEL  APPLETON,  of  Nathaniel  and  Re- 
becca Dwight. 

September  3.  ELIZA  TERRY,  EDWARD,  WILLIAM  AMOS, 
EMELINE  DEBORAH,  RICHARD  GILES  BAILEY,  of  Amos 
and  Elizabeth  Woodward. 

September  10.  CHARLES,  SALLY,  WILLIAM,  of  Charles 
and  Hannah  Butler. 

October  21.  EDWARD  HEMPSTEAD,  of  Elijah  and  Sarah 
Beebe. 

November  19.  WILLIAM  PITT,  JANETTE  RICHARDS,  of 
William  P.  and  Abby  Cleaveland. 

November  25.  OLIVER  ELLSWORTH,  of  Ellas  and  Mary 
Perkins. 

December  11.  ELIAS  COMSTOCK,  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth 
Chapel. 

1810. 

March  25.     ELIZA  of  Peter  and  Ann  C.  Richards. 

April  17.  JOHN,  SAMUEL  ALEXANDER,  ABBY  ELIZA, 
of  Abigail  Wait. 

April  22.  CHARLOTTE  of  Abel  and  Sally  B.  McEwen; 
HENRY,  PRUDENCE,  of  Nathaniel  and  Sarah  Hewit. 

May  6.     JOHN,  of  Amos  and  Elizabeth  Woodward. 

Mary  20.     HANNAH  LOOMIS,  of  Ezra  and  Wealthy  Chappell. 

June  24.  CHRISTOPHER  HEMPSTEAD,  of  John  and  Mary 
Keeney. 

August  12.     MARY  ANN,  of  Robert  and  Ann  Colfax. 

August  19.  EBENEZER,  WILLIAM,  HARRIET  ANN,  KIM- 
BALL PRINCE,  of  Lydia  Colfax. 

August  20.  JARED  WHITFIELD,  of  Shubael  and  Sally 
Smith;  BURR,  of  Francis  and  Sally  Sistare. 

September  [no  date].  NATHANIEL  APPLETON,  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Rebeckah  Dwight. 

October  [no  date].  ELIAS  BUTLER,  ANN  ELIZABETH, 
CHARLES    ALEXANDER,    of    Elisha    and    Martha    Watrous; 


BAPTISMS.  553^ 

EDWIN,  CHARLOTTE  ELIZABETH,  of  Chester  and  Lucy 
Kimball. 

October  21.  MARY  ANN  RICHARDS,  of  Zebediah  and  Cath- 
erine Rogers;  DAVID,  of  John  and  Ann  Colt. 

December  1.  CHRISTOPHER  ABNER,  of  Caesar  and  Jer- 
Ing  Shaw;  MARIA,  of  Ralph  and  Charlotte  Stoddart. 

December  16.  CHARLES  AUGUSTUS,  GEORGE  RICH- 
ARDS, of  James  and  Harriet  Lewis. 

1811. 

March  1.  CHARLOTTE,  OLIVER,  ASA,  MARY,  ELIZA- 
BETH, of  Asa  and  Elizabeth  Spencer. 

May  6.     ELLEN  PAINE,  of  William  P.  and  Abby  Cleaveland. 

July  28.  CHARLOTTE  HUNTINGTON,  of  Charles  and  Jo- 
anna Lathrop;  A  CHILD,  name  not  given,  of  Joseph  and  Nancy 
Sistare. 

August  18.  MARY  ANN,  MERIT,  WILLIAM  RUFUS 
HYDE,  ELIZABETH  HYDE,  EMILY  HYDE,  of  Elizabeth 
Rockwell. 

September  27.  COURTLAND  LUCAS,  of  Picket  and  Eunice 
Lattimer;  JOSHUA,  NANCY,  EDWARD,  MARY,  of  Joshua  and 
Mary  Hempstead. 

November    24.     GEORGE    WILLIAMS,    of    John    and    Mary 

Jewett. 

1812. 

January  12.  A  CHILD,  name  not  given,  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  Gale. 

April  19.  PETER,  of  Peter  and  Ann  C.  Richards;  JANE,  of 
Daniel  and  Hannah  Starr. 

April  23,  JULIA,  MEHITABEL,  ELIZABETH,  of  Samuel 
Treby,  presented  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism  by  their  grand- 
parents Samuel  and  Rhoda  Whittemore,  who  have  the  charge 
of  their  education. 

May  24.  CHARLES  CHRISTOPHERS,  of  Elijah  and  Sarah. 
Beebe. 

June  21.    JAMES  INGERSOL  of  James  and  Hannah  Day. 

July  5.    JULIA,  of  Ezra  and  Wealthy  Chappell. 


554      LATER   HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 

July  19.    SARAH,  of  Abel  and  Sally  B.  McEwen. 

September  16.  LUCINDA  CHURCH  DART,  grandchild  of 
Jedediah  and  Mary  Brown. 

November  23.  WILLIAM,  of  Elizabeth  Sisson;  MARY 
WARREN,  CATHERINE,  ELIHU,  SALLY  BUTLER,  ABBY 
HEMPSTEAD,  LUCY  COIT,  of  Elihu  and  Catherine  Crocker. 

December  1.  CORNELIA  WYLLYS,  of  Francis  and  Sally 
Sistare. 

1813. 

August  [no  date].  ABIGAIL  HINMAN,  of  James  and  Han- 
nah Day. 

September  [no  date].  ELIZA  CRUMP,  of  William  P.  and 
Abby  Cleaveland. 

November  23.    ELIZABETH,  of  Ralph  and  Charlotte  Stod- 

tiart. 

1814. 

January  1.  FRANCES  ANN,  of  Chester  and  Lucretia  Kim- 
ball. 

January  9.    FRANKLIN,  of  Ezra  and  Wealthy  Chappell. 

February  13.  RUTH  PERRY,  ANSTRESS  GARDINER, 
AMY  BAKER,  FRANCES  ELIZA,  DAVID  PERRY,  of  David 
G.  and  Ann  Otis. 

April  3.  REBEKKAH  MUMFORD,  HANNAH  HARRIET, 
JANE  WINTHROP,  of  Robert  and  Rebekkah  Allyn,  presented 
after  the  decease  of  their  parents,  by  their  sister  Nancy  L. 
Allyn  as  her  adopted  children;  FRANCES  CURTIS,  of  Robert 
and  Ann  Colfax, 

May  29.  MEHETABEL  ROGERS,  ABIGAIL,  JOHN  TINK- 
ER,, FANNY,  of  Phillip  and  Elizabeth  Morgan. 

September  [no  date].  JOHN,  of  Reuben  and  Eliza  Crump; 
MARTHA,  of  Joshua  and  Mary  Hempstead;  JAMES  GEORGE, 
of  James  G.  and  Patty  Bowen. 

October  [no  date].  HANNAH  DOLBEAR,  of  Peter  and  Ann 
"C.  Richards. 

November  [no  date].  THREE  CHILDREN,  names  not 
given,  of  Daniel  W.  Caulkins. 


BAPTISMS.  555 

1815. 

January  [no  date].  ABBY  ANN,  CHARLES,  of  David  and 
Mary  Jepson,  of  New  York  deceased,  presented  by  Henry  Jep- 
son  their  grandfather;  WILLIAM  BARTLETT,  of  Abel  and 
Sally  B.  McEwen. 

March  12.  MARY  SHERWOOD,  WILLIAM,  of  James  and 
Hannah  Day. 

May  15.  A  CHILD,  name  not  given,  of  Charles  and  Hannah 
Butler. 

June  11.    JOHN  DARIUS,  of  David  G.,  and  Ann  Otis. 

September  [no  date].  FRANCES  ELIZABETH,  of  Joseph 
and  Nancy  Sistare. 

December  21.     MARIA,  of  Robert  and  Ann  Colfax. 

1816. 

February  25.  EDWARD,  of  Ezra  and  Wealthy  Chappell; 
EDWARD  HALLAM,  of  Edward  and  Nancy  Learned. 

May  [no  date]  ABBY  GORDAN,  RUTH  ANN,  ARCHIBALD 
HAMILTON,  of  Daniel  and  Jennet  Keeney;  SEVERAL  CHIL- 
DREN, names  not  given,  of  Robert  and  Abiah  Douglass. 

1817. 

February  [no  date].  ANN  BUCKINGHAM,  of  Abel  and 
Sally  B.  McEwen;  ALMIRA  POWERS,  ANN  ELIZABETH,  of 
Nathan  S.  Angel. 

June  [no  date].  JOHN  SMITH,  of  Daniel  H.  Caulkins;  ROB- 
ERT COIT,  of  Edward  and  Nancy  Learned. 

1818. 

[No  dates  save  the  year  are  given  in  the  remaining  cases]. 

SALLY  PEARCE,  ALFRED  LEWIS,  ELIZA  MANWARRING, 
ABBY  MORGAN,  REUBEN  WILLIAM,  ABRAHAM,  ISAAC, 
FRANCES,  JACOB,  of  Reuben  and  Abigail  More. 

JOSHUA  COIT,  of  Edward  and  Nancy  Coit  Learned. 

SARAH  OWEN,  of  Gurdon  and  Mrs.  Kimball. 

EDWARD  PRINCE,  EDAH  ANN,  LOUISA  FREEMAN,  of 
Caesar  and  Jane  Shaw. 


556      LATER  HISTORY  OP  THE  FIRST   CHURCH. 

ANN  KINMAN,  of  Elisha  and  Hannah  North. 

HARRIET,  of  Abel  and  Sally  B.  McEwen. 

ALEXANDER  BROWN,  of  Lodowick  and  Elizabeth  Leeds. 

1820. 

ELIAS,  of  Nathaniel  and  Mrs.  Perkins. 
LUCRETIA,  of  Rodman  and  Sarah  Lathrop. 

1821. 

CORNELIA  LEONARD,  of  Thomas  and  Mrs.  Perkins;  also 
A  CHILD,  name  not  given,  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Per- 
kins. 

JOHN  BATTELL  of  Abel  and  Sally  B.  McEwen. 

BETSEY  PECK,  EBENEZER,  BILLINGS  PECK,  of  Eben- 
ezer  and  Charlotte  Peck  Learned. 

ELIZA  ANN,  CHARLES  WHEELER,  ELISHA,  SARAH,  of 
Eliza  Denison. 

WILLIAM  LAW,  of  Ebenezer  and  Lydia  Coit  Learned. 

COLBEY  CHEW,  of  Edward  and  Nancy  Coit  Learned. 

JEDEDIAH  HUNTINGTON,  of  Peter  and  Ann  C.  Richards. 

These  are  all  the  baptisms  by  Dr.  McEwen  which  could  be 
found.  As  the  record  is  imperfect  between  1821  and  the  pas- 
torate of  Mr.  Bacon,  it  has  been  thought  best  not  to  continue 
the  list  beyond  1821. 

Mr.  Hempstead's  diary,  in  some  cases,  disagrees  with  the 
records.  But  it  has  been  assumed  that  the  pastor,  was  more 
likely  to  be  correct. 

In  the  foregoing  list  of  baptisms,  the  records  have  been 
followed  in  the  spelling. 


Marriages  until  1800  are  to  be  found  in  the  SECOND  BOOK 
OF  EARLY  CONNECTICUT   MARRIAGES,   published  by  the 
bureau  of  American  Ancestry,  New  Haven.      The   marriages 
subsequent  to  1800  can  be  found  in  the  Town  Records  of  New 
London. 


INDEX. 


Adams,  Eliphalet;  call  to  Yale,  1,  55- 
59;  to  New  London,  19,  20;  or- 
dained, 21 ;  birth,  etc.,  21-24;  grad- 
uated from  Harvard,  25;  Indian 
work,  38-il ;  trustee  of  Yale,  56, 57 ; 
disturbances  of  ministry,  63-67; 
married,  etc.,  74;  children  and  de- 
scendants, 75,  76;  wife  died,  76, 
77;  his  calm  judgment  saved  the 
church,  78 ;  his  will,  78,  79 ;  died,  80 ; 
his  thunder  bolt  sermon,  85-95; 
execution  sermon,  97;  additions 
under.  109, 110. 

Allen,  Timothy,  123-125,  132. 

Assent  to  Channing's  covenant,  260. 

Association  New  London,  392. 

Avery,  Rev.  John's  letter,  394-398. 

Awakening,  The  Great,  its  causes, 
101;  powerful  in  Conn.,  108;  oppo- 
sition, 110-116. 

Bacon,  Rev.  E.  W.,  1,  12,  443. 

Baldwin,  Rev.  C.  J.,  201,  202. 

Baptists  in  Waterford,  48,  53. 

Baptists  in  New  London,  295. 

Baxter's  books  for  intermission,  69, 
70. 

Belcher,  Dea,,  43. 

Bell,  223-225;  314,;  428. 

Benevolences,  11,  12,  418-420. 

Blinman,  4. 

Bolles'  Hill,  etc.,  189,  190. 

Bradstreet,  1. 

Bradford,  Alice,  23,  24. 

Burning  of  books,  etc.,  130, 131. 

Byles,  Mather  Jr.,  supply  of  church 
between,  and  Mr.  Adams,  138;  ap- 
peared in  New  London,  139;  ances- 
try 139-141 ;  called,  141-143 ;  ordain- 
ed,  143;  lived,  144;  Rogerene  out- 
breaks, etc.,  144-156;  admissions 
under,  144-146;  brilliant  preacher, 
145;  children,  156,  157;  became  an 
Episcopalian  and  left,  157-160 ;  steps 
to  the  change,  etc.,  161-163;  a  royal- 
ist, 162 ;  died,  163. 

Card  playing,  etc.,  vote  concerning, 
265. 

Cemetery,  the  second,  222,  223. 

Changes  under  McEwen,  350-352. 


Channing,Rev.  Henry,  10, 204 ;  Chan- 
ningmeeting-house,187-200 ;  called 
208-209;  ordained,  210-212;  ances- 
try, 212;  asks  for  more  salary,  232- 
241;  delay  of  reply,  239,  273 ;  admis- 
sions under,  255,  206;  dismissions. 
260;  his  creed  and  change  of  view 
260-272;  dissatisfaction,  273,  com- 
plains  of  Robert  Manwaring,  274, 
275;  first  letter  leading  to  resig- 
nation, 276;  at  the  Mansfield  coun- 
cil,  281-282;  interview  with  so- 
ciety's  committee,  283,  284;  resigns, 
284-291;  dismission,  292,  293,  chil- 
dren, 295,296;  died,  297. 

Clock,  219,  234. 

Coit,  Fanny,  of  Ceylon,  354. 

Coit,  Jonathan's  legacy,  405,  420. 

Conference  at  Norwich,  267. 

Conference  or  Sessions  House,  309. 
310, 408.  '        ' 

Consociation,  391,  392. 

Council  about  burning  of  books,  133. 

Council  of  Plymouth  Church,  etc.. 
417. 

Cutler's  defection,  etc.,  56,  58. 

Daughters,  the  third,  41-44;  the 
fourth,  368,  369;  latter 's  house 
burned,  423-425. 

Davenport,  Rev.  James.  124-129, 

Declension,  religious,  100-106. 

Discipline,  263-265,  349,  415. 

Dow,  Dr.  Ulysses,  228. 

Dwight'e  Psalm  Book,  311. 

East  Lyme  Church,  44-47. 

Episcopal  Church,  etc.,  48-52. 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  133, 134. 

Field,  Rev.  Dr.,  6;  called,  405-408; 
accepts,  408;  installed,  410;  birth 
and  education,  410 ;  relations  to  Dr. 
McEwen,  411-413;  revival,  413; 
reply  to  W.  H.  H.  Murray,  etc., 
414-415  ;  church  votes,  415-420;  close 
of  ministry,  429-437;  correspond- 
ence, 430-434 ;  dismissal,  437 ;  again 
at  Amherst,  437;  testimony  to,  439- 
441;  married,  etc.,  441;  went  abroad, 
441, 442 ;  died,  442. 


558 


INDEX. 


Fitch,  James,  24. 

First  society  formed,  47. 

Garrett,  Katherine,  38. 

Garrett,  Betty  and  Hannah,  30. 

Gorton,  Stephen,  53,  54. 

Graves,  Rev.,  77, 137,  138. 

Guilford  trouble,  68,  69;  council,  111- 

113. 
Granite  meeting-house,  316-320. 
Halfway  covenant,  31-33, 112. 
Hallam,  Dr.  Robert  A.,  48-52. 
Harpoot  College,  13. 
Hillhouse,  Rev.  James,  42. 
Health,  record  of.  Chapter  IX. 
Household  Worship,  333 
Hoyt,  Rev.  James,  called,  403,  404. 
Huntington,  Dea.  Jedediah,  14. 
Itinerating  forbidden,  112-117. 
In  Excelsis  introduced,  416,417. 
Jewett,  Rev.  David,  44. 
Johnson,  Rev.,  51. 
Keith,  Geo.,  49. 
Kirkland,  Rev.  Saml.,'31. 
Lathrop,  Harriet,  352. 
Lecture,  weekly,  72. 
Lewis,  Harriet's  legacy,  307. 
Lightning  struck  meeting-house,  60, 

61,  84,  90,  91. 
Lots,  parsonage  sold,  320-323. 
Lottery,  212-214. 
Lothrop,  Harriet,  etc.,  352. 
Love,  Dr.,  30. 

Mansfield  council  at,  267,  281. 
Manwaring,  David,  176;  Robert,  274, 

275.  ,  .     , 

McEwen  called,  298,  299;  ordamed, 
300-303;  education,  301,  302,  373, 
374,  377 ;  married,  304 ;  withdrawals, 
327-332;  introduces  new  creed,  etc., 
340-345 ;  as  a  preacher,  345-346 ;  ad- 
ditions under,  346;  moral  society 
of  New  London,  338,  339 ;  spirit  of 
missions,  35i-355;  born,  etc.,  370. 
372;  at  school,  373-377;  farm  life, 
374;  ride  to  Hartford  and  results, 
375-377;  enters  college  and  grad- 
uates, etc.,  377-378 ;  studies  theolo- 
gy, etc.,  378,  379;  came  to  New 
London,  etc.,  380;  power  of  his 
ministry,  381 ;  married  and  his  chil- 
dren, etc.,  381-382,  401.  402;  reti- 
cence as  lo  his  religious  life,  383, 
384 :  as  a  preacher,  theologian;  etc., 
384-386;  publications,  386,  387;  lib- 
eral, etc.,  388;  wide  influence,  389; 
State  Home  Missionary  Society, 
etc.,  389-391 ;  consociation,  391.  392 ; 
in  ministers'  meeting,  392-398;  re- 
lation to  education,  398, 399;  death, 
400,  401 ;  silence  in  meetings  and 
cause, 411-413. 


Meeting-house  struck  by  lightnings 

60.  61,  62;  repaired,  63,  307,  308; 

sermon,  85-95 :  the  Channing,  187- 

190,  215-219;  the  McEweu,  316  323. 
Membership,  27-29. 
Methodism  in  New  London,  295,  296. 
Missionary  society  formed  in  New 

London,  353. 
Mofl-at,  Dr.,143,  144. 
Montville  church,  41-44. 
Morals  during  interim,  204-206. 
Music  in  church,  229-231. 
New  meeting-house  187-200;   propo- 
sition for,  tabled,  314 ;  old  repaired ; 

of  second  society,  815,  316;  burned, 

423-425. 
Norwich  conference,  267. 
Niles,  of  Ceylon,  353,  354. 
Occum  Samson,  31,  40. 
Organ,  new,  312,  425,  426. 
Otis,  Asa,  etc.,  12,  13.  354. 
Parish  House,  418. 
Parsonage,  etc.,  given,  221,320-323; 

present  given,  429. 
Peters,  Rev.  Thomas,  2. 
Pews  rented,  11,  218,  323;  disputes 

about,  25,  26 ;  square  made  slipst 

etc.,  313,  314. 
Prayer    meetings,   their  origin,  16, 

333,334. 
Problem  of  church  support,  10,  11. 
Protracted  meetings,  109. 
Reception  of  members  under  Adams, 

34,  35. 
Records  deficient,  366-367. 
Rogerenes,  65,  66,  144-154. 
Roll  of  church,  348. 
Roman  Catholic  service,  388. 
Rules,  348,  349. 
Sabbath    schools  in    New  London, 

origin  of,  15,  355-356. 
Salary  of  Channing,  232-241,  276. 
Saltonstall,  death  of,  66. _ 
Saybrook  platform  refused,  142,  267, 

268. 
Schools  and  first  parish.  225-228. 
Seabury,  John,  Samuel,  Bishop,  52. 
Second  church  and  parish,  366-369. 
Separates,  etc.,  11,  129-133. 
Sessions  house,  309-310. 
Severe  measures  toward  Rogerenes, 

151-154. 
Sexton's  house,  308. 
Shapley,  Adam,  165. 
Shepherds  tent.  123, 125, 129. 
Singing  provided  for,  229-231,  311,. 

312. 
Slavery  in  early  days,  72. 
Snow  storm,  the  great,  84. 
Songs  for  the  Sanctuary  adopted,  416v 
State  money  secured,  306,  307. 


INDEX. 


559 


Stewart,  Matthew  testifies  to  Mr. 
Adams,  78. 

Strong,  Dr.,  of  Norwich,  as  to  morals 
in  New  London,  205. 

Subscription  for  Channing  meeting- 
house, 188-192,  215,  216 ;  for  Chan- 
ning, 240;  for  McEwen,  328-331. 

Supply  of  pulpit  in  interim,  200-204. 

Talbot,  Rev.  John,  49. 

Tax  to  support  the  church,  11 ;  tax 
pews,  142;  laid  and  collected,  182- 
186. 

Tennent,  108. 

Tripe  club,  337,  338. 

Uncases,  29,  30. 

Unitarianism,  271, 272  and  chapter  X. 

Universalism,  367-368. 

Votes  concerning  admissions  under 
Channing,  258,  259 ;  against  cards, 
etc.,  265 ;  of  church  under  McEwen, 
365-367;  under  Field,  415-420;  of 
society,  420-429. 


War,  sounds  of,  63-68. 

Wheat  Saml,  269. 

Whipple,  Titus,  264,  265. 

Whittlesey,  112. 

Whitefield  in  New  London,  122,  125, 
134,  135. 

Wilcox,  Dea.,  43. 

Williams,  Nath.,  rejected  by  Sepa- 
rates, 123, 

Woodbridge  called,  164;  salary,  165; 
descent,  165-169;  born,  169;  mar- 
ried, 171, 172 ;  refused  halfway  cove- 
nant, 173-177;  church  opposed  him, 
174;  baptisms  by,  176;  Dea.  Man- 
waring  opposed,  176;  discipline 
under,  177;  Mrs.  Woodbringe  died, 
178 ;  spiritual  conditions,  179 ;  died, 
179,  180;  children  of,  180,  181. 

Wright,  Matilda,  founder  of  Sabbatb 
Schools,  356  ff. 


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Connecticut 

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